Student details relationship with accused Morro Bay teacher, says it ‘cannot be tolerated’
One of two alleged victims of a former Morro Bay High School teacher and swim coach accused of sex crimes against students says the educator tried to initiate a romantic relationship with her and exchanged sexually explicit messages.
The young woman, who is currently under the age of 18 and is not being identified by The Tribune, said she is cooperating with officials in the ongoing criminal investigation into the teacher’s conduct.
The process has consumed her life, she said.
“I rarely think about anything else besides what happened then and what is going on now. I understand how severe this is,” she wrote in an emailed statement Monday. “As of now, I expect to struggle in future intimate and non-intimate relationships, especially with feeling secure in my judgment and confident about the people important to me.”
She added: “The healing process is a strange thing, different for everyone, and I’m still not quite sure where I’m at in mine or where I’m headed next.”
Tyler Andree, 24, is accused of having sex with one student and soliciting another. He was arrested Monday following a three-week criminal investigation by Morro Bay police and booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail on $30,000 bail. Records show he was out of custody later that day.
Andree had not been charged by county prosecutors as of Wednesday morning. A jail booking log says he has a court arraignment date tentatively scheduled for Feb. 23. The Tribune was unsuccessful in reaching him for comment for this article.
His father, Morro Bay High School Athletics Director John Andree, did not return a text message request for comment Wednesday.
Officials have released few details about the allegations against Andree, who resigned last month just prior to the start of the second semester.
A student at the school identified herself to The Tribune this week as the young woman Andree is accused of soliciting. She declined to discuss the allegations involving the other student.
The teen said she participated in sexually explicit message exchanges with the teacher after he began expressing romantic interest in her.
They carried on the exchanges for more than a month late last year, she said, but their relationship did not become physical.
She told The Tribune on Tuesday that she has been in regular contact with investigators and hopes to continue to be helpful in any criminal case against Andree.
“I trust the community to help set the expectation to the (District Attorney’s Office) that this is a case that needs to be taken seriously and have every substantial charge identified included in the prosecution,” she wrote in an email.
Teen says teacher’s conduct ‘is never OK’
The young woman says that beginning in early September, conversations between she and Andree “began to become more flirtatious” and “eventually he made it clear he had deeper feelings for me.”
She said that through mid-October, the two “talked in a romantic manner exchanging sexually explicit messages.”
The teen said she came forward with a written statement to the interim principal at the high school, Jeff Cadwallader, and was interviewed by the school’s resource officer.
She said both the administrator and the resource officer were understanding and helpful. She has not had contact with school administrators about the investigation since, she said.
“I really do believe that the Morro Bay (Police Department) has a true interest in protecting and respecting the victims in the case,” she wrote in an mail. “I’ve felt that they have been wanting to do their best to make sure the case is handled in a way that (not to be cliché) will end with proper justice.”
Asked what she thinks that would be, the young woman said: “It’s hard to answer what I would like to see in terms of criminal charges as I believe we do not know yet how deep this goes and how many people it involves.”
Asked why she agreed to talk to The Tribune, the young woman said, “It needs to be known that this type of conduct by a teacher is never OK in any situation and cannot be tolerated.”
“There needs to be accountability on schools to keep check on their staff and systems so students are never put at risk,” she wrote. “Every educator understands how sacred of a place our schools are and to have that jeopardized is disgusting and detrimental.”
She said her experiences have made her more aware of “how and where young men and women are put at risk,” and that the situation has driven her to serve as an advocate for victims of sexual abuse in the future.
“The crossing of boundaries by an authority figure is something that will undoubtedly stick with me for the rest of my life,” she wrote.
Teacher’s previous employment reviewed
Following Andree’s arrest Monday, San Luis Coastal Unified School District officials acknowledged just one student victim. A statement from the district said they were informed of allegations of potential misconduct that indicated “a teacher/coach had an inappropriate relationship with an unnamed student during his employment,” the district wrote in a news release Monday.
Shortly after, the district began an internal investigation and was later notified by the Morro Bay Police Department that it had received similar information and was starting an investigation as well, according to the district.
Andree, who taught chemistry, resigned from the school on Jan. 18, according to the district.
The district said in a statement on Monday that its “records reflect that background and reference checks were properly conducted.”
The statement also noted that steps have been taken to “ensure student instruction is not disrupted.”
Andree had been an employee with Morro Bay High School since Aug. 13, 2019, according to the district.
Prior to his short tenure there, Andree taught at Nipomo High School during the 2018-19 school year and served as the assistant girls’ junior varsity swim coach “under the direct supervision of the head coach, and left district employment in May 2019,” according to the Lucia Mar Unified School District.
“During that assignment, he worked under the direct supervision of a certificated teacher,” a statement provided by Lucia Mar on Wednesday reads. “The district is conducting an internal review into Mr. Andree’s interactions with district students during the time he was employed as a student teacher and coach.”
Lucia Mar is asking anyone with relevant information to contact Jennifer Handy, assistant superintendent of human resources, at jennifer.handy@lmusd.org or 805-474-3000, ext 1190.
In the note to the Morro Bay High School community, Cadwallader included information for counseling services at the school and district. Those in need may contact Elena Smith at 805-771-1845 or Shelley Benson at sbenson@slcusd.org.
The criminal investigation is also ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Morro Bay High School’s school resource Officer Gene Stuart of the Morro Bay Police Department at 805-772-6225 or San Luis Obispo County Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.
