Teacher who was cleared of sex abuse charges should get job back, judge says

A Broward teacher who was arrested but then later cleared of child sex abuse should get his job back and more than two years in back pay, a state judge has determined.

In a recent opinion, Administrative Law Judge Cathy Sellers found no credibility in the accusations from a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl against Wyman Gresham, a former teacher at Lauderhill 6-12.

A third girl, aged 16, had also accused of him of inappropriate touching. Lauderhill police arrested Gresham in connection to allegations from the 12- and 16-year-old, although the State Attorney’s Office only charged him with molesting the 12-year-old. That charge was dropped in February 2022.

The School Board must still make the final decision on whether to rehire Gresham, who was fired in December 2019. A district spokesman didn’t provide comment, despite attempts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Gresham said the judge’s decision was welcome news after several tough years.

“It’s been a long time coming, and my family has suffered tremendously,” he told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday. “I’ve been kicked and thrown under the bus for years, but I knew the truth and facts would prevail.”

A judge has recommended Wyman Gresham, a former teacher at Lauderhill 6-12, get his job back after being cleared of allegations of sexual abuse. (Sun Sentinel staff/Sun Sentinel)

In the fall of 2017, three girls reported to officials at Lauderhill 6-12 that Gresham had touched them inappropriately. They said the teacher touched their buttocks while hugging them and wiggled his tongue at them in a sexually suggestive way that made them uncomfortable.

The district moved Gresham to a job in the book depository, where he stayed for two years before being fired in December 2019.

Two of the girls testified at the hearing, and there were inconsistencies in their stories, the judge said. The incidents were reported to have happened in Gresham’s classroom multiple times in the fall of 2017. But some of the possible dates they identified, Gresham was on bereavement leave or working a non-classroom job. Other times the school was closed due to a hurricane.

[ RELATED: School Board won’t hire investigator to review inappropriate touching allegations ]

The students’ stories about specific details of what Gresham allegedly did also changed, the judge said, making them not credible witnesses.

The State Attorney’s Office, which was pursuing one case involving a 12-year-old girl, dismissed the case last year, noting inconsistencies in witness statements and a decision by the accuser not to testify.

“The mother and victim both decided they did not want to come in and go through a trial,” a State Attorney’s Office close-out memo said. “Without the victim’s testimony, the only evidence that would be able to prove each element of the crime, the State could not go forward.”

Gresham had prior troubles with the district.

In March 1998, when he was a campus monitor at New River Middle in Fort Lauderdale, he was accused of offering a 13- or 14-year-old female student money “if she would strip for him and perform sexual acts.” A state report said he was transferred to another school following the incident.

He did not admit wrongdoing but accepted a five-day suspension from the district. He was also disciplined by the state with a letter of reprimand, three years probation and a $1,000 fine, which he satisfied.

[ RELATED: Broward teacher accused of sexual misconduct faces firing — for failing to report arrest ]

Gresham said he hasn’t decided if he wants to return to the classroom.

“I have a lot of things on my mind,” he said. “I’m humbled and positive just for the opportunity to have something positive happen.”