Marisa Kwiatkowski

marisa.kwiatkowski@indystar.com

A former Mt. Vernon School Corp. employee will not serve time in prison for having sex with a student.

Kisha Nuckols pleaded guilty Monday to one count of felony child seduction, according to Hancock Circuit Court records in Greenfield. Judge Richard Culver sentenced the Fountaintown woman to two years of Community Corrections to be served on home detention, followed by two years of probation. Nuckols, a former substitute teacher and teacher's aide, also is required to register as a sex offender and remain in counseling.

In return for her guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss two other counts of felony child seduction and one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors that were pending against her.

Nuckols' attorney, James McNew, could not be reached Monday for comment. Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton thanked the Fortville Police Department for its work on the case.

In an interview with Fortville police earlier this year, Nuckols admitted sharing explicit photos with a 17-year-old boy and having sex with him multiple times, including at her home while her husband and children were upstairs, according to court records. She also admitted having inappropriate relationships with at least five other students.

Records indicate school officials waited 17 days to report the allegations against Nuckols to authorities.

The Hancock County prosecutor's office charged Scott Shipley, then Mt. Vernon Middle School principal, with a misdemeanor count of failure to make a report. Court records indicate Shipley learned of the allegation that a district employee sent sexually explicit photos to a high school student on March 12, but no one reported it to authorities until March 29 — 17 days later.

Indiana law requires certain school officials to immediately report suspected child abuse and neglect to the Indiana Department of Child Services or law enforcement. State law also requires anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect to report it.

Shipley's attorney, John Tompkins, had argued for the misdemeanor case to be dismissed because the student was 18 at the time Shipley learned of the allegations, but Judge Dan Marshall rejected the motions to dismiss.

Shipley, who is now director of special programs for the school district, is scheduled for trial Dec. 20.

Call IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at (317) 444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.

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