A male teacher who was named Minnesota’s “Teacher of the Year” has been charged with grooming and raping a female student over a year-long period when she was 14 years old.
Abdul Jameel Wright, 38, was 30 when he allegedly began committing sexual acts with a then 14-year-old girl in his English class at Harvest Best Academy in Minneapolis.
He has been charged with one felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor aged 13 to 15 while in a position of authority. The sexual assaults allegedly began in September 2016, just four months after Wright was awarded Teacher of the Year.
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UPDATE: Here’s the social media post referenced in the St. Louis Park HS email which appears to implicate Minnesota 2016 Teacher of the Year Abdul Wright in alleged sexual allegations involving a minor. pic.twitter.com/72W7pkwTBA— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) May 17, 2024
Wright worked at Harvest Best from 2011 until last year, according to his LinkedIn account. Most recently, Wright taught at St. Louis Park High School just outside Minneapolis, but he was placed on administrative leave in May due to “a concerning social media post” with “alleged serious misconduct.”
A woman had posted on Facebook about the allegations against Wright, accusing him of “taking a little girl’s innocence.” She included audio of a phone call she claimed was Wright crying and begging her not to go to the police.
“He has admitted to and gave his explanation for why he did it,” the woman posted.
Harvest Best said it is still collecting the facts around the shocking allegations, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
“We are limited in what we can share until this thorough investigation has been conducted and we are fully cooperating with all authorities,” the school said in a statement. “We understand these allegations may be concerning, and our top priority remains the safety and security of our school community.”
Wright is not in custody but is due to appear in court on September 18.
In May, the mother of the girl filed a criminal sexual conduct report with the Minneapolis Police Department, according to court documents.
The girl, now 22, also provided a statement to police and did a forensic interview.
She claimed that while she was in Wright’s 8th grade English class, he began giving her special treatment, letting her eat lunch in his classroom and playing music that “reminded him of her,” calling her every day and cultivating a friendship with her mother.
The girl began babysitting Wright’s children after school. One day she went to babysit the children, and they were not there, but Wright was. Wright allegedly began kissing her and asked if she was a virgin, according to court documents. Over the next year, he allegedly increased the abuse, assaulting the young teen in his classroom, in his car, in his home, and even at the girl’s mother’s home, ultimately raping her.
The alleged sexual abuse stopped when the girl left for 9th grade.
“My life experience has shown me the importance of being a good person, the importance of grace, the importance of unconditional love,” Wright said in a video tribute for his Teacher of the Year award.
“And for me, I try to pour that on my students, try to give them as much grace as possible. They make a mistake, we move on. And I’mma keep loving on them and loving them regardless,” he said.
