A Daviess County Public Schools instructor currently employed at Tamarack Elementary School has been arrested by Henderson Police Department on Thursday for third-degree sodomy of a minor.
Evan Harvey, 27, of Owensboro, was suspended from DCPS on Sept. 10 for incidents alleged to have occurred during his employment with the Henderson County school system.
HPD said a 16-year-old Henderson student filed the complaint on Sept. 10. According to The Henderson Gleaner, the student said Harvey made flirty comments to each other and communicated through Snapchat.
Amy Shutt, DCPS assistant superintendent for human resources, said it is DCPS’ policy to not comment on any personnel matters.
“We can confirm that this individual is employed by the Daviess County Public Schools district at Tamarack Elementary School,” Shutt said. “These allegations were made known to us on Sept. 10 and since that date, this individual has been suspended, pending the results of the investigation.”
While not included in DCPS’ statement, Owensboro Times confirmed that Harvey is listed on Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s website as an assistant football coach at Apollo High School.
“Immediately upon receipt of this information, this individual was placed on suspension and has not been on any DCPS school campus since that time,” Shutt said.
According to Shutt, there are no allegations of inappropriate behavior involving students at any Daviess County Public School.
“The safety of the children entrusted to our care is our highest priority,” she said. “As a district, we take that responsibility seriously and hold ourselves and one another to the highest standards of ethical behavior.”
Shutt said DCPS follows a strict screening process as part of our hiring procedures.
“This includes local, state and federal criminal background checks; and confirmation from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services stating that the applicant has no findings of substantiated child abuse or neglect,” she said.
Candidates for employment are not hired or placed in contact with students until those reports are received and cleared.
DCPS said any allegation of inappropriate behavior on behalf of a staff member is immediately reported to the appropriate agencies. As per Board policy, the employee is suspended pending the outcome of that investigation.
“We are committed that all DCPS schools remain safe places for children to learn and grow,” Shutt said. “We continue to build positive relationships with students, families and with one another, which ensures that we all feel safe in reporting any issues of concern to a trusted adult.”
