Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, teacher Ryan Stewart is facing criminal charges after allegations have been made that he sent a nude image of himself to a former student on the social media platform Snapchat. As soon as the authorities notified Stewart's school district of the criminal investigation against Stewart, it sprang into action and placed Stewart on leave.
Stewart insists the incident was a mistake, claiming that he never intended to send the explicit material to his former student. Mistakes like this can happen to anyone, and even though they are mistakes, they can derail your career. If you are a professional whose career is being threatened over this type of mistake, the Lento Law Firm can help. Our Professional License Defense Team will fight to protect your rights, clear your name, and protect any of your professional licensures. Contact us today at 888-535-3686 or through our online form.
What Happened Between Stewart and the Former Student?
Stewart sent one image to his former student, who immediately took screenshots of the image and told Steward he would report the incident to the police. On a separate occasion, the student alleges that Stewart had requested to be friends on the social media platform, but the student didn't accept the request. (You can still send messages to Snapchat users who do not accept your friend request; the messages just go to a separate message request inbox.)
According to authorities, Stewart has, on two separate occasions, claimed that he did not intentionally send the photo to the former student. In one interrogation, Stewart claimed he intended to send the photo to someone he was seeing in a romantic capacity who shared a similar name to his former student. At another time, Stewart said he had never intended to send the photo to anyone at all.
Professional Consequences of Stewart's Mistake
It is unclear if Stewart's employer, Susquehanna School District, will allow him to return to school even if he is found innocent. Unfortunately, with the prevalence of social media, this type of accident is all too common. While just ten years ago, doctors or nurses were not friends with their patients on Instagram, teachers were not friends with their students on Snapchat, and professionals didn't follow a client on TikTok, what is considered socially acceptable for friendship on these platforms is ever and quickly changing. While your employer may have no set policies on social media connections with your patients, students, or clients, you must be careful to protect your career.
You've Accidentally Sent an Image or Message, Now What?
If you are a medical professional, teacher, or other professional whose licensure and livelihood could be threatened by the image or message you have sent, the Lento Law Firm can help. The seasoned attorneys on our Professional License Defense Team will assist you in getting ahead of the problem and can represent you before any professional boards from which you may be facing disciplinary action. To get started, call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
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