GROSSE POINTE WOODS — A police report filed with the Grosse Pointe Woods Department of Public Safety against a Mason Elementary School music teacher did not lead to an investigation, according to Public Safety Director John Kosanke, who determined “there was nothing there.”

A parent alleged misconduct related to a kindergarten child at the end of music class Dec. 3. Details first described and reported locally later were clarified by Michael Rennell, president of the Grosse Pointe Education Association, who was part of the school district’s initial internal investigation of the incident.

Rather than rubbing lotion on the teacher’s back, as first reported by a local news station, the child had picked up a stick of roll-on Biofreeze, a menthol-based formula providing pain relief when applied to the skin, that fell out of the teacher’s bag. When the child asked what it was, the teacher explained it was medicine he put on his shoulder. The teacher rolled up his short-sleeve shirt and said, “Color me,” according to Rennell.

Another adult in the room — a paraprofessional accompanying a student with special needs — confirmed this account during an initial investigation of the incident.

The teacher remained at the school until the parent went on camera Dec. 6, threatening to report the incident to the police as sexual assault. At that point, Grosse Pointe Public School System Superintendent Gary Niehaus notified Child Protective Services and hired a private attorney to conduct an independent investigation of the matter. The teacher was put on paid administrative leave.

The attorney was appointed in mid-December, according to Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services Jon Dean, but the investigation was incomplete as of press time, partially due to the holiday break.

“A parent the investigator wanted to talk to was not available until after the new year,” Dean said. “That interview took place last week and the attorney is in the process of finalizing the investigation.”

Dean expects to receive results within a week or so. While he said the administration will consider any information it receives from Child Protective Services, “typically CPS doesn’t release any of the details of their findings. Typically that is shared with the family.”

The teacher remains on leave pending the conclusion of the investigation.