Former Center Point-Urbana teacher arrested for sexual exploitation of student

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A former teacher at Center Point-Urbana Middle School has been charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee.

Prosecutors say Adam Hildebrandt sent multiple social media messages of a sexual nature to a 13-year-old student in June of 2021. The Linn County Sherriff’s Office said it began investigating the teacher while he was still employed with the Center Point-Urbana Community School District. The district allowed Hilderbrant to resign in December 2021.

Court documents say Hildebrandt followed the student on Instagram and began sending messages about her body, eyes, smile, feelings of intimacy and acknowledged the messages could be considered inappropriate. Hildebrandt has pled not guilty and was released today as long as he follows the law and has no contract with the student.

Prosecutors said, before the messages began, the student claims the teacher touched her hair, her back, and began giving her hugs after she confided in him about some personal issues during the 2020-21 school year.

In a December 2021 report, our KCRG-TV9 i9 Investigative Team found school districts and other public employers commonly allow staff members under investigation to resign rather than face the termination process. This practice hides allegations from future employers and allows the employee to receive a similar job in the future. The charges filed Thursday would likely appear on background checks in the future.

In regards to Hildebrandt, Matthew Berninghaus, superintendent for the Center Point-Urbana School District, said “In the event the school district were to submit a notification to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, it would be considered confidential.” Berninghaus would not comment any further.

School districts in Iowa are required to report to the state licensing board within 30 days when a teacher is accused of abuse or resigns after an allegation of misconduct. There is no punishment for school districts that don’t follow the requirement.

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