News that a Michigan high school administrator has been charged in the alleged sexual assault of a student was revealed Friday.
Michele Rae Erb, 45, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student and using a computer to commit a crime. She worked for Lakewood Public Schools (LPS) in Barry County.
The alleged incident, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison for both respective charges, reportedly occurred in October.
“Ms. Erb was initially and immediately placed on administrative leave and has not returned in any capacity since October 28, 2021,” LPS Superintendent Dr. Steven Skalka told The Michigan Star Friday.
“She was the administrative assistant to the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment and Director of Technology,” he said. “While her primary location was at the central office, she had a desk at Lakewood HS as that is where the Director of Technology’s office is located. The District enlisted the help of its legal counsel to complete an investigation. That investigation is nearly complete.”
Erb’s next court appearance will be on March 23.
It has been a week of bad news for Michigan’s public high schools.
Monday, Escore High School Assistant Principal Melven Conway was arrested on school grounds and charged for allegedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old relative.
The alleged crime is said to have occurred years ago, and his accuser is now a teenager.
“The Ecorse School District has been made aware of the arrest of Assistant Principal Melven Conway. We are going to work collaboratively with all law enforcement agencies involved as this investigation continues. As always, the security of our students and staff is our number one priority,” Superintendent Dr. Josha Talison said in a Monday statement following Conway’s arrest.
He also sent a note home with students, meant for their parents.
“This morning an Ecorse Community High School staff member was taken into custody by law enforcement officials at the high school campus,” he said. “At this time, the Ecorse Public School District has no additional information about the situation. The safety of our students, staff and community is one of our highest priorities. To the best of our knowledge aside from this staff member, no other Ecorse Public Students or staff are involved in this situation. We will continue to monitor this situation and deal with it as appropriate once more information is available.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
