#parent | #kids | Ex-Shawnee Mission teacher in court on child sex crimes charges | #teacher | #children | #kids

Alexander Morris, a former Shawnee Mission North High math teacher and swim coach, made his first appearance in Johnson County District Court on Thursday facing five counts of felony sexual exploitation of a minor.

What happened: During his appearance by video link from the Johnson County Adult Detention Center in New Century, Morris requested a court-appointed attorney.

• His next court appearance is set for 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6.
• He remains in custody of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on $150,000 bond.
• He must have no contact with witnesses on the complaint and no contact with minor children except as allowed through civil court orders.
• He is also prohibited from using a computer or the internet, and if Morris posts bond, then he will be placed on electronic monitoring.

Background: Johnson County Sheriff’s Office records show deputies arrested Morris, 32, around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

• He was taken into custody and charged with five felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
• The criminal complaint against Morris alleges he unlawfully possessed images depicting a child under the age of 18 engaging in sexually explicit conduct between Jan. 31 and Sept. 15.

What we know: The Shawnee Mission Board of Education on Wednesday evening convened a special meeting where they voted to terminate Morris’s employment with the district.

• David Smith, a Shawnee Mission School District spokesperson, confirmed Morris had been employed with the district since November 2013.
• In an emailed response to questions from the Post on Thursday, Smith said the district could not disclose whether or not Morris had ever been subject to an investigation or disciplinary action during his time as a Shawnee Mission employee.
• In response to a request about whether the alleged crimes occurred on district property or with district-issued computers — or whether Shawnee Mission students were involved — Smith said “investigators have not shared any details of the investigation with us.”
• Smith said the principal’s message notifying families was sent to families of students in Morris’ classes when asked whether the message was sent to the current SM North community.

Other inquiries: The Post reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Kansas City field office regarding the case, and a FBI spokesperson deferred comments to the Overland Park Police Department

• The Post reached out to OPPD for comment and had not heard back regarding this investigation at the time of publication of this article.

Shawnee Mission teacher and swim coach

A LinkedIn profile shows that Morris served as a coach for SM North’s girls swim and dive team since he began working in the district in 2008.

• Since 2011, the LinkedIn profile says, Morris has been a swim coach with the Kansas City Blazers, a swim organization organized through the Johnson County Park and Recreation District that has teams for kids as young as 5 years old up through high school.
• Officials with the KC Blazers swim team declined to comment Thursday.
• As of Thursday, images of Morris remained on the KC Blazers’ website, though he is not listed as a coach for any teams.

• In addition, the LinkedIn profile says Morris has been an assistant coach for the city of Mission’s Swim Club since 2006 and was a varsity boy’s swim coach in USD 232 in De Soto between 2012 and 2014.
• The city of Mission Parks and Recreation department did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment Thursday.

USD 232 response: Alvie Cater, a USD 232 spokesperson, confirmed for the Post via email on Thursday that Morris was employed with the district 10 years ago as a “rule 10 coach,” meaning his coaching duties were his only district assignment.

• Cater said Morris was an assistant coach for boys high school swimming at both Mill Valley and De Soto high schools, as the teams combined for practices at that time.
  Cater said Morris coached for USD 232 for two seasons and resigned “because he had other full time employment elsewhere and was in good standing when he left.