'Involved' with student, teacher faces charges
Curtis Key has surrendered much in his life over the last four months. In October, the Haverford High School language teacher allegedly surrendered his better judgment when he "fell for" a 16-year-old male student.
Curtis Key has surrendered much in his life over the last four months.
In October, the Haverford High School language teacher allegedly surrendered his better judgment when he "fell for" a 16-year-old male student.
In December, after rumors of the relationship spread through the high school's hallways, he surrendered his teaching certificate.
Yesterday morning, Key surrendered to police.
Key, 38, appeared in a Haverford district courtroom with his lawyer to face a single charge of corruption of minors.
What the male student described to police as a "mutual attraction" crossed boundaries when the teen and Key began communicating on the Internet in October and arranging secret rendezvous, according to court documents.
The teen, who is now 17, joined the Chinese after-school club run by Key and was able to spend time alone with him before and after meetings.
On Oct. 17, the teacher and student had their first kiss when Key walked the boy to his car following a music show at the high school, police said.
The teen told police that after that, he'd go to Key's house in Wayne every other week to engage in sexual activities, the affidavit said.
Key claims to have only engaged in sexual conduct with the boy twice, police said.
The teen told police that rumors about his relationship with Key circulated around school. When a teacher overheard a close friend of the teen speak of it to another student, she contacted administrators, police said.
On Dec. 16, Key was suspended from his teaching position. That night, police went to his home and Key admitted to a relationship with the teen, court documents said. Two days later, he resigned.
Key provided authorities with a written statement that said, in part, "I know that I should not have been involved with [the student], but the attention he gave to me made me overlook the inappropriateness - naively."
Delaware County Assistant District Attorney Michael Mattson said that Key was charged only with the single corruption count because the state's statutory rape law applies only to individuals under 16.
As part of the investigation, authorities seized Key's work computer and the teen's computer. Mattson said that if any further evidence of wrongdoing is found, Key could face more charges.
Following Key's arraignment, his attorney, Joseph Chupein Jr., advised his client to waive his preliminary hearing, which he did.
Haverford Township District Judge Robert Burke set Key's bail at 10 percent of $50,000.
Conditions of the bail include that Key not have contact with the victim, the victim's family or any minors.
Key is also barred from Internet access and must be placed on home monitoring.
If convicted, Key faces up to five years in prison, Mattson said.
"This was a violation of trust placed in him by the community as whole," Mattson said.
Chupein indicated that his client does not deny the allegations and that he has cooperated fully with the investigation.
"We're looking forward to a prompt resolution of the case," he said.
Haverford district officials declined comment.
On the Web site RateMyTeachers.com, students generally posted favorable reviews for Key, including: "I've never had him for any class or anything, but he is great to talk to (especially en francais), and hes [sic] overall a great guy." *
