Albert Lea Area Schools fires counselor, coach accused of sexually assaulting student
Albert Lea Area Schools has fired the high school counselor and girl's basketball coach accused of sexually assaulting a student.
Richard J. Polley was charged in Freeborn County District Court earlier this month with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct, with prosecutors alleging he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old female student who had regularly gone to him for help with academic requests or to chat.
Read more: Charges: Albert Lea High School counselor sexually assaulted student
On Monday, 12 days after the allegations first surfaced, Albert Lea Area Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Funk announced Polley has been fired. He'd been working as a school guidance counselor and was head coach of the varsity girl's basketball team.
"The inappropriate behaviors of Mr. Polley impacted many in our school community," Funk's statement says. "Students, staff, and athletes have been affected by his actions, some severely. We encourage those in need to work with our high school administration so that we can provide resources to support them."
The superintendent also thanked community members who alerted the district to the situation.
"We appreciate that they had trust in our school system to handle this in the proper manner," he said.
According to the charges, the sexual assault took place at Polley's Albert Lea home in January, not long after he and the student became friends on Snapchat. You can read more about the criminal charges here.
Polley is currently out of custody, on conditional release after posting $100,000 bail. His next court date is Jan. 27.
