JACKSON, MI - A Jackson County teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student nine years ago is now facing sexual misconduct charges.

Jason Cunningham, 46, was arraigned Wednesday, Sept. 5, on one felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student between the age of 16 and 17, records show.

Cunningham most recently taught at Western Middle School, having been hired there in 2016. But he is alleged to have had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female student for a "lengthy period of time" in 2009, while he was a teacher in Napoleon Community Schools, Jackson County Undersheriff Chris Kuhl said.

Western School District Superintendent Mike Smajda sent a letter to school district families on Sept. 4 regarding the issue. The letter addresses accusations regarding a teacher, later identified as Cunningham, being involved in misconduct with a student at his former place of employment.

"This is a situation we take very seriously and will continue to take seriously," Smajda said.

Cunningham was at Western for two years as a music teacher. Prior to being hired at Western, he was employed in Napoleon as high school band/choir director for 15 years. Prior to Napoleon, he taught at Jackson's Hunt Elementary School.

Western began investigating allegations regarding Cunningham in early July after a parent brought the matter to the district's attention, Smajda said. Cunningham submitted a letter of resignation to the district on July 25, stating he was leaving for personal reasons.

The district notified the Jackson County Sheriff's Office of the accusations in late July, leading detectives to investigate for several weeks and eventually request charges from the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, Kuhl said.

Cunningham turned himself into police after being notified of the charges, Kuhl said.

When a school district hires an employee, it is obligated to send out a letter to previous employers asking if there were incidents of misconduct by that employee, Smajda said.

In this case, Western sent letters to both Napoleon and JPS, Cunningham's two previous employers, he said. Both responded there were no incidents of misconduct, he said.

"This was a huge surprise to us," Napoleon Community Schools Superintendent Jim Graham said. "At no time while (Cunningham) was here were there any verbal or written complaints. No students or parents or staff brought any concerns to us."

When Cunningham resigned from Napoleon in 2016, he said it was to take the job at Western, which was closer to his home, Graham said.

"It's very disheartening. We try our hardest to protect all kids at all times," Graham said. "We are cooperating 100 percent with law enforcement on this."

Cunningham is scheduled for a preliminary examination on Sept. 19 before District Judge Michael Klaeren. He is currently free on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

Third-degree criminal sexual conduct is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

In these instances, questions sometimes come up about revoking a person's teaching certificate, Smajda said.

Teaching certificates are issued by the state and can only be revoked by the state, he said. Revocation recommendations can be made by school districts, but they are not always acted upon, he said.