Instructor loses license to teach

He offered to give student test answers in exchange for nude photos, state says

A teacher is banned from working again at a Florida school after being accused of offering test answers to a student if she sent him nude photos.

The state has revoked the teaching license of Christopher Fisher, 31, who was a social studies instructor at Quantum High, a charter school in

Boynton Beach. A second teacher, Khemrajee Kangal, was given a reprimand from the state for failing to report Fisher to administrators.

On Aug. 23, 2016, Fisher asked the 18-year-old woman “to send nude pictures of herself in exchange for a password for the school’s testing site where [she] could access answers to her required exam,” according to a state disciplinary file.

Fisher, who had worked for the school about a year, resigned the day after the former principal learned of the accusations and suspended him, current Principal David Ferguson said in a statement.

The report doesn’t say whether the student actually sent any photos.

The student reported her concerns to two teachers, one of whom alerted the principal, Ferguson said. The school then notified the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Education, Ferguson said.

The other teacher, Kangal, 57, who instructs special-needs children, did not report the student’s concerns, Ferguson said.

“The employee stated that she advised the student to report the matter to the principal and to inform the student’s mother of what happened,” Ferguson said. “The principal advised the employee that she did not follow state law or the school policy when she failed to directly report the matter to the principal. The employee apologized for failing to report the matter.”

Kangal received a reprimand from the state because she “failed to notify school administrators, law enforcement or assist the student,” her state disciplinary file says.

The Boynton Beach Police Department had no report on the matter, according to an official in the records department. Inappropriate behavior involving teachers and students is usually not criminal if the student is 18 or older.

The state’s Education Practices Commission voted April 11 to revoke Fisher’s license and permanently bar him from re-applying. Reached by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fisher declined to comment.

The next day, the commission gave Kangal a reprimand. To keep her license, she was required to pay a $750 fine and take a course on identifying and reporting child abuse.

She was given a disciplinary warning and was retrained on reporting inappropriate conduct, Ferguson said. The Sun Sentinel couldn’t reach Kangal for comment Monday.

Quantum High serves students ages 16 to 21 who are at risk of dropping out. It uses a computer-based curriculum where students can take subjects at their own pace.