US teacher arrested for 'making out' with 5th-grader months before wedding

A 24-year-old teacher in the US has been charged with sexual assault for allegedly “making out” and having an “inappropriate relationship” with one of her fifth grade students. Madison Bergmann’s alleged abuse of the 11-year-old boy came to light less than three months before her wedding, CBS News Minnesota reported.

The incident came out in the open when the boy’s mother overheard him talking to Bergmann on the phone, and took the device away from him. The boy’s parents allegedly found texts between him and the teacher, following which they went to the school with printouts of the conversations.

According to the charging documents presented to the police, the texts included messages from Bergmann allegedly discussing several encounters with the 11-year-old inside the classroom during lunch or after school. She is also accused of telling the boy how much she enjoyed him touching her.

The boy told investigators that he talked to Madison Bergmann “almost daily” and got her number when he went skiing with her and his mother in the Afton Alps over the winter break. The teacher agreed to get his number during the trip, saying it was shared with her if they were separated at the park.

The month Bergmann went on the skiing trip was the same when he got engaged to her boyfriend.

Inside Bergmann’s backpack, a folder with the boy’s name on it was found that contained many handwritten notes. The 11-year-old told police that he and Bergmann would write each other notes throughout the day, and most of these mention the two “kissing each other”, according to court documents.

In one of the letters, Madison Bergmann allegedly questioned her relationship with the fifth-grader. “One of my cousins is in the 5th grade and I can’t imagine a man talking to her how we talk. I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world, but I have to be the adult here and stop.”

Bergmann was set to be married in July, less than three months before her arrest.

She was let out on a $25,000 (nearly Rs 21 lakh) signature bond and has been placed on administrative leave. She has also been barred from school property or at school events, and from contacting any district students, parents or staff, New York Post reported.

The school principal expressed “shock” over the incident, saying they are all “disturbed by this news”. “Our greatest concern is for the River Crest School community and the children impacted,” CBS Minnesota reported, quoting Principal Kimberly Osterhues’s message to parents.

Madison Bergmann’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 30.