Lowell Middle School Teacher Accused Of Sending Teen Nude Photo

TEWKSBURY, MA — A Lowell middle school teacher was charged with a felony after the parents of a 16-year-old boy reported to police that the teacher sent their son a photo of his genitals, the Middlesex County District Attorney's office said Wednesday.

Jaryd Palmer, 34, of Andover, who is a sixth grade teacher for Lowell Public Schools, was charged Tuesday with disseminating obscene matter to a minor. He was arraigned Wednesday at Lowell District Court, the district attorney's office said.

Palmer's bail was set at $500 with the condition that he has no contact with the victim and does not have unsupervised contact with children. He was scheduled to return to court July 1.

If convicted, Palmer faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Lowell Public Schools told Patch it was aware of the allegations against Palmer but cannot comment at this time.

Tewksbury Police arrested Palmer on Tuesday after the unidentified victim's parents reported their son communicated with Palmer over Snapchat and accused Palmer of sending their son a photo of his genitals, police said. The boy took a screenshot of the image before telling his parents, police said.

“This case serves as an important reminder to parents and children that it is critical to have open and honest communication around social media,” District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement.

“We need to remind our young people that if something is happening online that is making them uncomfortable, feels in appropriate, or in this case is illegal, they need to immediately report it to a trusted adult,” she added.