The identity of the Marietta City Schools teacher that is facing allegations, and the nature of the allegations, have been revealed according to police records.

Christopher Joseph VanReeth, who according to Marietta Municipal Court records is 36 and who lives at 107 Meadow Lane, Marietta, is listed in a Marietta Police affidavit in support of probable cause for issuance of a summons, as a teacher facing an assault allegation.

VanReeth is facing one count of first-degree misdemeanor assault, according to court records.

He is listed as a Marietta High School intervention specialist on the district’s website and Ohio Department of Education records show in July 2022 he was issued a five-year professional license as a K-12 intervention specialist for the teaching fields of “mild/moderate.”

The records also state he teaches Science 7-8 and Mathematics 7-8 at Marietta High School.

Mention of a Marietta City Schools teacher facing allegations was first made in a Thursday post on the district’s Facebook page by Interim Superintendent Alison Woods.

“We are aware of allegations concerning one of our staff members and are taking the situation very seriously,” she said in the post.

The district refrained from making a public statement at the time the allegations were presented out of respect for and in concert with the law enforcement investigation process and assigned the teacher to home, directed them not to have any contact with students and prohibited them from being on school property, according to the post.

The Marietta Police received a forwarded email from Marietta High School Interim Principal Tim Fleming on Oct. 4. That was originally from the mother of a male student at the high school, according to the affidavit.

In the email, the mother stated her son came home Oct. 4 and told her about an incident that took place in his third period class with VanReeth, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit states, the child advised “he had his head down during class when Mr. VanReeth grabbed the hood of his hoodie and pulled his head up from the desk.”

The affidavit also states the mother said her child had red marks on his neck when he came home and she took photos of them and she requested a meeting with school authorities and the police in reference to the incident.

The mother took the juvenile to the hospital Oct. 4 and provided medical documents from the visit to police, according to the affidavit.

The officer investigating the incident stated in the affidavit that after reading the medical documents “(the juvenile) had a CT Scan completed and the prognosis was an acute strain of the neck muscle.”

The officer stated in the affidavit that the email was forwarded to VanReeth and he responded in an email that he sent to Marietta Assistant High School Principal Mary Yeater and the officer added VanReeth’s email to the case file.

The officer said in the email Van Reeth stated he was going to each student to make sure they were completing their assignment and when he reached the juvenile he found him asleep which VanReeth said was usual for science and most other classes.

“VanReeth advised he began prodding (the juvenile) to wake him up so he can get started on his daily task and he would not wake up,” the affidavit said. “At that point, VanReeth used his elbow to nudge and tap (the juvenile) on his back and then he began to tug at the back of his sweatshirt. After a minute or two of trying to wake (the juvenile) he eventually woke up.”

The affidavit stated VanReeth said after numerous conversations with the juvenile about sleeping in class he told him that if he didn’t get started on his task he would have to work on it for a few days during lunch, insinuating the juvenile would be spending lunch detention with VanReeth.

According to the affidavit, VanReeth also said they talked about how the juvenile’s behavior has gotten him so far behind on his class work and that he needs to put in extra time in an effort to succeed.

“VanReeth stated he spoke to (the juvenile) in a stern manner and believes the conversation somewhat embarrassed (the juvenile) and upset him,” the affidavit said. “At the end of VanReeth’s email he states that although he is loud, speaks fast and has a large and intimidating frame, this behavior is uncharacteristic of me, my demeanor and my teaching style.”

According to the affidavit, VanReeth said in his email that he would be happy to speak with the juvenile’s parent and offer an apology to the juvenile if he made him feel unsafe, embarrassed and/or angry.

The officer investigating the complaint stated he got a written statement form the juvenile on Oct. 8 and in it the student stated he was sitting in class with his head down and VanReeth walked up beside him and “yanked the hood of his hoodie up.”

According to the affidavit, the juvenile stated “his head went back causing his neck to hurt” and the juvenile said he “felt uncomfortable and unsafe being around Mr. VanReeth.”

The officer investigating the incident stated in the affidavit he spoke with VanReeth Oct. 10 by phone and “VanReeth advised he was told not to share any information with me per his union and his attorney.”

The officer pointed out in the affidavit that the juvenile has no prior behavior records while at Marietta City Schools.

According to Ohio Department of Education records, VanReeth does not have any completed or pending disciplinary cases.

The case against VanReeth was filed Oct. 23 with the Marietta Municipal Court, according to court records, and an arraignment hearing has been set for 9 a.m. Nov. 19.

Requests for comment by VanReeth were not returned as of press time.

The school district has not commented on the incident or identified VanReeth as the teacher related to the allegations and a request for VanReeth’s personnel records had not been fulfilled as of press time, though Woods stated the district is working on the request.