Teacher guilty of abusing special-needs students in North Carolina; school district delayed police report 2 years

A North Carolina public school teacher has been found guilty on six counts of assaulting persons with disabilities and now faces two federal lawsuits for his conduct.

The November verdict came more than two years after the assaults were reported because school officials waited 602 days to inform police.

James Rencher, a teacher in Wake County, North Carolina’s largest county which includes the city of Raleigh, was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to undergo anger management treatment, according to WRAL News.

The channel said Rencher was first accused of assaulting two students at East Wake High School in 2022, reportedly dragging, choking and pushing them. But despite two principals and multiple district workers being made aware of the assaults, parents and police weren’t informed until media outlet WRAL ran a series on them.

Parents explained what happened to their children in videos posted by the channel.

“(Rencher) picked him up by his arms, forcibly, and took him, pushed him out of the classroom into the kitchen and then slammed the door and just left him in the kitchen, said parent Tess Smithen.

Angela Blaylock, a teacher’s aide who reported the abuse to the school, said she was told Rencher was being transferred to another school, but “then they made him teacher of the week.”

Administrators told her she could either stay in his classroom or accept a lower-paying job at the school, the channel reported.

Parents reacted to the verdict by saying they were “relieved” or that they could “get better sleep at night.” Smithen asked the district, “Why did it take you so long?”

“That’s the scary part,” parent Tim King said in a video. “These people are supposed to be looking out for your children – and they clearly are not. Clearly are not.” 

The district is now conducting an internal review of how the situation was handled, WRAL reports, and is retraining principals on their mandatory reporting requirements. 

But two parents have filed separate lawsuits against Rencher, the district’s school board and several district administrators, claiming they were aware of the assaults but didn’t properly report them until after the channel conducted a six-month investigation. 

Rencher’s sentence includes a 60-day suspended jail sentence, meaning he could go to jail if he violates terms of his probation. It also prohibits him from ever teaching again, WRAL reports.  

Rencher maintains his innocence. His attorney, Seth Blum, said after the verdict his client is “tired and sad. He loved being a teacher, and that’s out of the picture for him.” 

Rencher’s salary was $66,453, according to records on GovSalaries.com and posted to X by Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate.