EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is investigating four reports that an Excelsior Springs School District staff member assaulted several Cornerstone Elementary School students.

The sheriff’s investigation is separate from district and Missouri Childrens Division investigations.

The district will determine whether the teacher violated district policies, the Childrens Division will determine whether the teacher treated children correctly and the sheriff will determine whether criminal acts took place.

“The Excelsior Springs School District has cooperated fully with the investigation and communication between the district and the Sheriff’s Office has been ongoing,” office spokeswoman Sarah Boyd said. “The district and the Sheriff’s Office have a longstanding relationship of support and respect.”

The Excelsior Springs Police Department received a criminal complaint but asked the sheriff to handle the investigation due to a conflict of interest within the department. Police Chief Greg Dull said his investigators had connections to the teacher and, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, he asked Sheriff Will Akin’s office to take over.

“We didn’t want to have any allegation of favoritism,” Dull said.

Parents of two students, not from the same family, made the initial complaint against the teacher. The parents alleged the teacher assaulted students physically.

“A complaint was made through a hotline call, and that goes through the Childrens Division,” District Assistant Superintendent Jaret Tomlinson said

The division notified the district, which prompted investigations by each entity.

Findings from the district and Childrens Division’s investigations are being withheld while the sheriff’s criminal investigation continues.

“We were ready to conclude our investigation and move forward,” Tomlinson said, but parents got law enforcers involved in launching a criminal investigation.

The sheriff’s investigation is not a rehash of the other investigations, Boyd said. After the Sheriff’s Office took over the case, parents of two other children at the school contacted detectives with concerns about abuse, she said.

In all, Akin’s office is reviewing complaints by four families representing four students, Boyd said.

“They’ve got a few more interviews they want to do,” she said, before drawing conclusions. “They’ve already interviewed well over a dozen folks.”

The sheriff’s work may be nearing an end, Boyd said.

“The Sheriff’s Office is committed to conducting a thorough investigation into the allegations. At the conclusion of the criminal investigation, the Sheriff’s Office and school district will jointly announce the results,” Boyd said. “Both entities want to be transparent with district families and ensure the safety of children while also ensuring the right to due process for everyone involved.

Tomlinson said the teacher remains on paid administrative leave “pending the outcome of the sheriff’s investigation.”