MERIDEN, Connecticut (WFSB/Gray News) – A former Connecticut music teacher is facing charges after police said she had an inappropriate relationship with a student several years ago.
Ciara Picard, 39, turned herself in to Meriden police on December 2.
According to police, Picard has been charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault. They said the reported incidents happened while she was working as a teacher at Maloney High School.
Picard resigned from her job in August. The school district called police as soon as it heard about the allegations, police said.
The music teacher’s arrest comes after the Meriden Police Department’s special crimes unit said it took on the case.
Investigators said they looked into claims about the inappropriate relationship between Picard and the student, who has since graduated.
According to Picard’s arrest warrant, the student is now 25 years old. He told police that he started being groomed by Picard as a freshman when he was 14 years old.
When the student was 16 and 17 years old, during his junior and senior years, he told police that multiple sexual assault incidents occurred.
He said the relationship evolved after his father died.
Police said the now-former student told them that during his junior year, he went on a trip with Picard to New York City to watch a symphony. That’s when he said they exchanged their first kiss.
He also said that during that year, text messages between him and Picard became sexual in nature.
According to an arrest warrant, Picard asked the student to delete the messages.
Police said they interviewed Picard on Aug. 26. They asked her if she had ever had a relationship with any student during her 13-year tenure with Meriden schools.
She initially denied having one. However, police said she eventually said she knew the student to whom police were referring.
Picard admitted that texts between her and the student “definitely crossed the line,” police said, while also admitting that the relationship was “not OK.”
However, she continued to deny that the relationship was physically sexual while he was a student. She claimed the first time they had sex was when he was in college.
Picard told police that their relationship ended in 2021 when the student told her he didn’t want to talk to her anymore.
The student eventually revealed to his mother that he had a relationship with Picard, a married woman with two children. The mother urged her son to file a report.
He later told police that he felt he could not say “no” to Picard because she was his direct teacher. He also said he is enrolled in professional therapy as a result of the relationship.
After she turned herself in, Picard posted a $25,000 bond and was released. She is scheduled to face a judge on Dec. 16.
Police said keeping students safe is their top concern. They emphasized that teachers and other school staff have a big responsibility to do the right thing.
“Any violation of that trust is taken with the utmost importance,” police said in their report. “The Meriden Police Department remains committed to conducting thorough investigations and taking decisive action to ensure that all students are protected and that our schools remain safe learning environments.”
Police also praised the former student for coming forward. They said it takes courage to speak up, and the victim’s willingness to report what happened is important for keeping the community safe.
Assistant Superintendent for Meriden Public Schools Louis Bronk released a statement on Tuesday.
“The employee against whom these allegations were made resigned in August, and she is no longer employed by the Meriden Public Schools. As soon as we received word of these allegations, we reached out to the Meriden Police Department, and we have been cooperating fully in its investigation,” Bronk said. “We take all allegations of this nature with the utmost seriousness. Our first priority is always to assure the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
