Hudson elementary school teacher had inappropriate relationship with student, charges allege
HUDSON, Wis. — A western Wisconsin elementary school teacher is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with one of her students, according to a complaint filed in St. Croix County on Thursday.
Twenty-four-year-old Madison Bergmann, of St. Paul, was charged with one count of first-degree child sexual assault with a child under age 13.
According to charging documents, police were called to River Crest Elementary School in Hudson "regarding inappropriate conduct between a current teacher and a 5th grade student" — an 11-year-old boy.
Officers were presented with screenshots of multiple text conversations between the victim and Bergmann talking about their encounters, which allegedly occurred inside the classroom during lunch or after school.
The texts were discovered when the victim had his phone taken away by his mother after she caught him talking on the phone with Bergmann earlier in the week.
Charges say the victim told investigators that he talked to Bergmann "almost daily," and that he got her number when he went skiing with her and his mother at Afton Alps over winter break. Bergmann also told police she received the boy's number then in case they were separated at the park.
Inside Bergmann's backpack, an officer reports they found a folder with the victim's name on it containing many handwritten notes. The victim later told police that he and Bergmann would write each other notes throughout the day. Many of the letters talk about the two kissing each other, court documents say.
In one of the letters, Bergmann allegedly wrote, "One of my cousins is in the 5th grade and I can't imagine a man talking to her how we talk. I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world but I have to be the adult here and stop."
"We are shocked and disturbed by this news. Our greatest concern is for the River Crest School community and the children impacted," Principal Kimberly Osterhues wrote in a message to parents.
Bergmann was let out on a $25,000 signature bond and is not allowed on school property or at school events. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 30.
