Teacher At Moore Public Schools Resigns After Sending Inappropriate Messages To Student

A Moore teacher resigned and had his teaching certification revoked after sending inappropriate messages through Snapchat to a student. 

Nicholas Garrison was a coach and 8th grade teacher who was caught sending pictures and messages to an 8th grade female student, displaying what most would call "grooming behavior."

The former teacher was using the profile name “Coach Garrison” to Snapchat the student. Screenshots showed he sent multiple messages and pictures to the girl, one of the captions saying “I drank a few things” and “I’m jealous I’m not 16-17 and could try to date you.”

In other Snapchats, Garrison asked her what she’s doing, tells her multiple times he misses her, and “can’t wait to see you tomorrow”

“Putting a stop to that right away is critical because if you look at these cases and the trajectory from them, that's how it starts is the grooming the companionship, the seeking out," Brad Clark with the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) said.

Moore Public Schools told News 9 in a statement: 

"On Nov. 14, 2022, Moore Public Schools received an allegation of inappropriate contact between a Central Junior High School teacher and a student. We immediately contacted the police and the teacher submitted a letter of resignation. The situation is a part of an active police investigation with the Moore Police Department. MPS also notified the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s legal team about the situation."

“Upon hearing of this we began our review and began collecting our own evidence and put together what you now have- the application to revoke his teaching certification," Clark said. 

News 9 spClark also added that while even one is too many, it’s not a reflection of the whole teaching profession.

“Whenever you look at these- and there has been a spike- it's important to always put it in context that out of the overall teaching profession- this is 1/10 of 1 percentage that we see these cases," Clark said.

Moore Schools told News 9 in a statement: “The safety and security of Moore Public Schools’ students and employees is our foremost concern and MPS school officials will continue to assist the Moore Police Department in their investigation of this matter.”

News 9 spoke with Moore Police who said detectives are still in the early stages of the investigation, but at this time there are no charges or arrests.

Moore Public Schools full statement:

"On Nov. 14, 2022, Moore Public Schools received an allegation of inappropriate contact between a Central Junior High School teacher and a student. We immediately contacted the police and the teacher submitted a letter of resignation. The situation is a part of an active police investigation with the Moore Police Department. MPS also notified the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s legal team about the situation.

The safety and security of Moore Public Schools’ students and employees is our foremost concern and MPS school officials will continue to assist the Moore Police Department in their investigation of this matter."