63-Year-Old Kansas Teacher Charged For Sexually Assaulting Minor, Sent On Administrative Leave

An elementary teacher at the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas was arrested on Monday (April 13) for sexually assaulting a minor.

The fifth-grade teacher at Pawnee Elementary School, identified as 63-year-old Kim Zier, is accused of sexual assault for “lewdly fondling or touching” a child under the age of 14. The alleged incident was reported to have occurred on Jan. 28 but pending an investigation, Zier was arrested on Monday and was charged on the same day.

The location where the alleged crime was suspected to have occurred is unclear. The identity of the victim will not be released considering the sensitivity of the case and also as the victim is a minor. No information is available at the moment that confirms whether the victim was a student from his school.

Zier who has been a teacher for almost 41 years, spent 31 of those years serving the Shawnee Mission School District before he was asked to go on administrative leave after the alleged incident surfaced.

“Mr. Zier has been on administrative leave while the investigation has proceeded. We take student safety very seriously and have fully cooperated with the police in their investigation. Due to the on-going investigation, we are unable to provide any additional comment at this time,” David Smith, the School district spokesman said in an email.

Johnson County District Court charged Zier with one count of aggravated indecent liberties involving a child. He was released from the county jail with a $25,000 bond on Tuesday.

Zier is to face a preliminary hearing in the case and is scheduled to appear in court again on April 22.

In a similar incident reported earlier this month a Wyoming middle school teacher was arrested and charged for sexually abusing a 14-year-old student. Jason Waugaman the 36-year-old teacher, was accused of sending “I love you” messages and requesting nude photos from his minor student. He was accused of having sexual relations with the seventh-grader. Waugaman and the victim knew each other when the suspect worked as a substitute teacher in the Natrona County School District. He was immediately fired from the school after he was charged with sexual abuse of a minor.