Former Teacher Sentenced To Jail For Sex With Student

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A former Takoma Park man who worked as a teacher at a public charter school in D.C. was sentenced to three years in prison for sexually abusing one of his students during the 2004-2005 academic year, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

Alan Wade Coleman, 47, who now lives in Gainesville, Florida, worked as a social studies teacher at KIPP D.C. Key Academy in Southeast Washington. Coleman admitted he engaged in sexual acts with a female student when she was 14 and 15 years old. Most of the abuse occurred at Coleman's apartment in Takoma Park, prosecutors said. Coleman remained in a relationship with the girl until she was 19, he said.

Prosecutors said Coleman would drive the girl to Takoma Park from the KIPP School. He also drove her to a location in D.C. multiple times, where they parked his vehicle and engaged in sexual acts, prosecutors said.

Coleman pleaded guilty to first-degree child sexual abuse of his female student as part of a larger plea agreement in which he already pled guilty in Montgomery County.

The school in Northwest Washington was under investigation for allegedly failing to report a suspected sex offense involving a teacher and student.

According to NBC Washington, D.C. police and D.C.'s attorney general are investigating Capital City Public Charter Schools for neglecting to report the incident. Sources said the school fired Coleman days after learning about the incident in March 2015, but police were unaware of the abuse until April 2016.

A police officer told NBC Washington that the victim informed them of the abuse, not school officials. Under D.C. law, any adult who learns of suspect child abuse must report the incident to police.

Coleman, 47, of Gainesville, Fla. pleaded guilty to first-degree child sexual abuse in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Oct. 30 as part of a larger plea agreement in which he already pleaded guilty in Montgomery County, prosecutors said.

See Related:

• Teacher Sex Abuse Not Reported By School: Reports
• Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Student

The school reportedly did not notify school parents about Coleman's arrest until May 2016.

A school spokeswoman wrote to NBC Washington: “We are confident that we discharged our responsibilities properly in this matter. We have cooperated with law enforcement in all phases of its investigation and will continue to do so.”

Investigation also revealed Coleman got a new teaching job at Eastside High School in Gainesville four months after he was fired.

NBC Washington reports his job application included a reference from a fellow Capital City Public Charter School teacher that said Coleman had "a fantastic rapport with his students."

The plea agreement in D.C. called for an agreed-upon three-year prison term to run concurrently with the sentence to be imposed in Montgomery County. Coleman is to be sentenced in Montgomery County on Feb. 9; under sentencing guidelines there, he faces a possible four to seven years in prison, prosecutors said.

Once released from prison, Coleman will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years as a result of his plea in the District of Columbia, and for life as a result of his plea in Montgomery County. He will also be on supervised release for up to 10 years as part of his sentence in the District of Columbia, prosecutors said.

Photo: Gainesville Police Department