Court docs: Middletown teacher confessed love for student
A 32-year-old Appoquinimink School District teacher sent more than 11,000 sexually explicit texts, photos and videos to a 13-year-old student on an iPod she purchased for him, according to court documents obtained by The News Journal Thursday.
In the messages, Nicole D. Veneroso, of Newark, told the boy repeatedly that she loved him and was confused by her feelings for him, the court papers said. Veneroso was arrested Wednesday after an investigation by state police led to multiple charges involving child sexual abuse, child porn and sending sexually explicit photos of herself, according to state police.
"I don't understand my feelings," Veneroso wrote in a text, the court documents said. "This isn't like me and I'm scared. I am careful and guarded. I don't leave myself exposed and vulnerable, but that's what happened. I don't understand how you have this effect on me. I have fought and denied. I have pushed down feelings, and it's all been for nothing. I want things. I have collapsed. I have fallen ... and I know it will hurt."
The music teacher was suspended from Appoquinimink School District in late January after school administrators were contacted by the boy's parent, police said.
Veneroso is being held at Baylor Women's Correctional Institution near New Castle. A lawyer for Veneroso is not listed in the court documents.
Superintendent of Schools Matt Burrows issued a statement to parents Wednesday prior to the arrest alerting the school community that given the circumstances, Veneroso was terminated. It also stressed that the teacher was placed on administrative leave and prohibited from coming to campus when allegations first arose.
"We'd like to stress that Appoquinimink staff and Board members share your pain and concern about this situation," Burrows said in the statement. "The safety of students is our top priority. You have our assurance that any allegation of inappropriate behavior will result in the immediate notification of local law enforcement officials, and we will work closely with them to protect our children."
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An investigation by state police starting on Jan. 27 led them to recover 11,650 text messages between Veneroso and the 13-year-old student, as well as screen shots of text messages, videos and photos, according to court documents.
The mother of the boy told the school that she found sexually explicit video and images of Veneroso on the student's cell phone, the court documents said. Burrows issued a statement in January alerting parents to the investigation and the subsequent suspension of Veneroso.
Veneroso taught at Everett Meredith Middle School and Silver Lake Elementary School in Middletown and Townsend Elementary School in Townsend. She was hired in the fall, according to the superintendent's statement. Veneroso taught sixth, seventh and eighth grade orchestra, as well as beginner lessons, according to a page on the Appoquinimink website.
State police, at this time, do not believe Veneroso engaged in similar behavior with other students, said Master Cpl. Jeffrey R. Hale, a public information officer with Delaware State Police.
Conversations between the two indicate that the boy was a student of Veneroso's and the two had kissed at least once, according to court documents. Veneroso also talked on the phone with her student nearly every night, in addition to communicating with him using video chat, sending him photos and videos and asking for pictures of him, as well.
In many text messages, Veneroso described sexual fantasies to the student and she routinely reminded him to delete the messages off of his iPod, according to court documents.
In a more recent conversation chronicled in the court documents, the boy talked to a third party – identified as "witness" – about the relationship with his teacher. He told the witness in text messages about what Veneroso did, referencing phone sex and topless photos. At the end, he says "we got to get interrogated again tomorrow," the document said.
Veneroso was arrested by police Wednesday and charged with dealing in child porn, sexual solicitation of a child under 18, second-degree criminal solicitation, five counts of providing obscenity to a child under 18, three counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust and endangering the welfare of a child. She was taken to Baylor Women's Correctional Institution on $53,250 bail.
When Veneroso was suspended in January, the superintendent wrote that he planned to schedule an information session with the Department of Justice to "address concerns raised by the allegation." It appears this was not scheduled, but Burrows wrote he intends to schedule it now following the arrest.
"It is our understanding that Ms. Veneroso conducted private lessons in the community," Burrows said in the statement. "Families who had a child taking classes outside of school are encouraged to take the information under advisement."
A LinkedIn page and Wix page, which solicits Veneroso's teaching services, list her as a private music teacher. According to her LinkedIn page, she has been offering private lessons for 17 years, as well as coordinating music for weddings.
Anyone with more information or who believes they may have been a victim of child sex abuse should contact the Troop 2 Youth Aid Division at (302) 834-2620.
Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.