IPS chief: Discipline possible in alleged counselor sex case

Indianapolis Public Schools employees face possible discipline for waiting six days to report allegations that a counselor was having sex with a student, the district's superintendent said Friday.

Any employee who knew about the allegations against Shana Taylor and did not report them will be disciplined, Superintendent Lewis Ferebee said during a news conference.

However, IPS spokeswoman Kristin Cutler told The Indianapolis Star that Ferebee himself learned of the allegations on Feb. 17 but also did not report them to the Indiana Department of Child Services. The allegations were reported six days later on Feb. 23.

"I was made aware of the initial reporting, and it was shared with me that we were following our protocols and procedures," Ferebee said. "It wasn't until we had the employee in and they were being interviewed by a human resources staff member that it was discovered that (the reporting) was not done."

The Star reports Indiana law requires certain school officials to immediately report instances of suspected child abuse at their institutions to DCS or police.

An internal investigation found several staff members admitted they knew they were required to report the incident to DCS, but failed to do so, Ferebee said. The staff assumed a report had been made without confirming that information, he said.

Taylor, 37, was charged Wednesday with nine felony counts of child seduction, one felony count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

She is being held on a $100,000 bond. It was not clear whether she has an attorney who might comment on her behalf.

Taylor, a guidance counselor at Longfellow Alternative school, is accused of frequently engaging in sex acts with a student in her office, his home, her apartment and her car. The student, 16 at the time of the first encounter, told police he and Taylor first had sex in his home while she was on break from work. The student told investigators he and Taylor smoked marijuana that day.

The investigation began when the student's mother confronted an assistant principal with sexually explicit pictures and texts. The assistant principal sent the information and evidence to IPS headquarters. Police also have learned of a second victim.

The IPS board fired Taylor on Friday.