GREENFIELD — A former Mt. Vernon Schools principal will make educational presentations to staffers in every school district in the county in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the criminal charge he faces.
Scott Shipley, 43, 9261 N. Water Bay Circle, McCordsville, entered into an agreement with prosecutors Friday afternoon in which he admitted police had reason to investigate him; but he did not plead guilty to a crime.
The deal — called an agreement to withhold prosecution — requires Shipley to speak with teachers and administrations in the county’s four school district about the importance of reporting accusations of child abuse and neglect, officials said.
Shipley, the former principal at Mt. Vernon Middle School, was charged in April 2016 with failure to report, a Class B misdemeanor.
Officials believe Shipley didn’t do enough to alert police of the rumor an employee was involved in a sexual relationship with a high school student. The teacher’s aide accused of the assault, Kisha Nuckols, 38, 321 E. Delaware St., Fortville, later pleaded guilty to child seduction.
State law requires any adult who suspects a child has been abused to make a report to police.
Shipley will spend the summer developing the presentation with members of the Department of Child Services and the Hancock County Prosecutors Office. The presentations will likely be delivered through out next schools year, officials said.
If Shipley follows through with his end of the agreement by May 2018, the Class B misdemeanor charge he faces will be dismissed. The man’s trial had been set to begin Tuesday.
This story will be updated.