Buffalo Teacher's Relationship with Student Investigated

Police are now investigating an alleged inappropriate relationship between Cara Dickey, a 29-year-old Buffalo teacher, and her 14-year-old student Nicholas DeJesus, after he disappeared Monday night.

DeJesus, a student at South Buffalo Charter School, was found the next day wandering around a local mall, while Dickey was found sleeping in her car in Tuesday morning.

Although Dickey, a married mother of three, was described by school officials as popular and highly regarded by students and colleagues, it seems that she may have carried on a relationship with the underage student for quite some time.

School officials said the teacher had been suspended with pay and escorted from school Monday morning after she was caught text-messaging DeJesus. After DeJesus' phone was seized, they found inappropriate text messages between the student and teacher.

It's believed that DeJesus snuck out of school sometime between 1:30 and 2 p.m. to meet with Dickey. Since the two left school at different times, and were found separately, officers are investigating whether or not they had met and spent the night together.

Dickey was apparently warned about her inappropriate behavior with the student on two separate occasions. School officials say that two weeks before the boy's disappearance, a group of teachers confronted the school's assistant director after they witnessed what they felt was inappropriate behavior between Dickey and her student.

But because Dickey was a respected teacher in good standing with the school, all the administration could do was call her in for a personal meeting and confront her with concerns over the relationship. They also urged her to read her teacher handbook.

At the time, Dickey was mentoring DeJesus, and his parents were aware of the extra time the teacher was spending with their student.

School officials began monitoring Dickey, and on June 9 she was brought in for a formal meeting with school officials and her union representative. Although Dickey denied having a relationship with any student, she was banned from having any contact with DeJesus.

It is still unsure whether or not the student and teacher's relationship was of a sexual nature. The text messages found on the boy's phone were not sexual, but were deemed inappropriate.

As of this morning, charges had not been filed against the teacher.

Image Source WIVB TV News