No Charges for Strip Poker Teacher.....

....but the principal has been cited for not reporting the incident fast enough. From The Seattle Times:

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho – A Christian-school teacher who played a version of strip poker during a camping trip with students broke no law, but the principal who reported the incident to police has been cited.

Lake City Junior Academy Principal Twila Brown was given a misdemeanor citation Tuesday under a state law that requires school officials to report suspected child abuse or neglect within 24 hours.

A parent complained that Brown was told that teacher Andy Armstrong, 42, had played a game of "Dirty Hearts" with five fifth- and sixth-grade students during a school-sponsored camping trip in April, but didn't notify parents or police for nearly a week.

Armstrong, a physical-education and science teacher from Coeur d'Alene, was immediately suspended from the school and later fired.

.................

None of those involved, including Armstrong, completely disrobed, nor did Armstrong ask anyone to perform sexual acts, the deputy wrote.

"They were to only remove as much clothing as it took to get to their 'boxers' or underwear,' " Kerzman said in his report. "Based upon what Brown told me, I could not locate a crime that described Armstrong's behavior."

Superintendent of Schools Keith Waters issued a written statement defending Brown.

"We deeply regret the circumstances leading up to the current situation," the statement said. "Principal Brown has always been a trusted and capable leader, and we have every confidence that any investigation will bear this out."

Perhaps what Mr. Armstrong did really is only a profound lapse in judgement and doesn't rise to the level of criminal behavior. I worry, though, about him having access to kids ever again, because what he did is profoundly and deeply troubling. As a male teacher of elementary kids it's guys like this who make us all look bad, and I hate to see him walk.

On a side note, it tells you a lot about the newspapers in this state that I had to go to the Seattle Times to get the story about the teacher from Coeur d'Alene. I first saw it in the Spokesman Review, but couldn't dig it out of their archival system, and that's a big part of the reason why they're a step behind everyone else.