Middle school teacher charged with sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy

A Catasauqua middle school teacher was charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy several times last summer in her home, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin announced Thursday.

Martin said Kimberly Race, 42, has been suspended from her job as a seventh grade teacher at Catasauqua Middle School, where she taught math and science. Although the boy was once one of Race’s students, Martin said none of the sexual assaults happened while she was his teacher.

Race was charged Thursday with statutory sexual assault, a first-degree felony, and corruption of minors, a first-degree misdemeanor. She was arraigned by District Judge Ron Manescu and released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

A detective with the Lehigh County district attorney’s office began an investigation on June 27 after receiving a report of possible sexual assaults on a 15-year-old boy.

The assaults happened several times at Race’s home in July and August 2018, Martin said.

As part of the investigation, the detective interviewed the boy and viewed video, Martin said in a news release. Court documents say Race sent videos to the boy, which show “herself involved in some sexually explicit behavior.”

The boy had been a student in Race’s class when he was in the seventh grade and 12 years old, but Martin said the assaults happened three years later.

Catasauqua Area School District Superintendent Robert Spengler said Race is suspended with pay.

The district was alerted in August of a pending investigation into the teacher. As a result, Spengler said Race was not permitted to start the school year.

Morning Call reporter Sarah M. Wojcik contributed to this story.