A former special education supervisor at The Richardson School, a private school located at 2802 International Lane on Madison’s north side, was charged Friday with sexual assault of a student, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The charge followed a police investigation of a report made in December that Jessica M. Kelbel, 29, and a teenage student had a sexual relationship.
The school is owned by Oconomowoc-based MyPath and was established for students with developmental or neurological disabilities and behavioral and emotional concerns who have difficulties in traditional school settings. It aims to help them develop skills and facilitate their return to their home school settings.
Derek Goodman, the school’s executive director, said the school began an internal investigation when it was notified by authorities of the alleged misconduct, during which Kelbel resigned.
The school’s day school director also told an officer that in 2022, there had been a prior investigation into inappropriate behavior between the student and Kelbel.
The person who made the December report told police that the brother of a Richardson student said the student had had a sexual relationship with one of the teachers at the school for as long as a year and a half. The student’s brother said that the student, who turned 18 in late 2023, had a video on his phone of himself and Kelbel engaged in sexual contact. The student himself denied to police that sexual contact had occurred.
The student’s brother told an officer that roughly 15 minutes before an officer arrived on Dec. 20, he overheard a phone conversation between the student and Kelbel in which he heard Kelbel say she did not want the student to tell police that sexual contact had occurred.
When Kelbel was interviewed by police on the same day, she said she had worked directly with the student but denied having sexual contact or a relationship with him outside of school.
A criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court stated that in a follow-up interview on Jan. 25, Kelbel, after initially continuing to deny it, ultimately admitted to police that she had sexual contact with a student at a north side home in October. She denied coaching the student about what to say.
Kelbel’s court appearance is scheduled for March 7.
