An on-call, substitute teacher at Pentucket Regional School District’s Sweetsir and Donaghue Schools was arrested in Merrimac and pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of child pornography and photographing an unsuspecting nude person.
Twenty-four-year-old Kenneth Niven was arraigned at Newburyport District Court. Pentucket Regional School District Superintendent Justin Bartholomew said in a statement Niven was fired.
“The investigation is in its early stages and we do not have further details to release at this time. However, I can share that this individual, who had been given a pre-employment background and criminal record check prior to starting as a substitute, has been terminated from their role as an on-call sub and we have issued a no-trespass order, barring them from all Pentucket Regional School District property.”
He said the Pentucket Regional School District is cooperating fully with the Merrimac Police Department and the Essex County District Attorney’s office, who are actively investigating these allegations.