Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing
The former partner of an elementary school teacher accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an 11-year-old is said to still be in touch with his one-time fiancé.
Madison Bergmann resigned from her job at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin in May, after charges against her came to light earlier that month.
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Bergmann, who was 24 at the time, was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a fifth-grade student, leading to charges of first-degree child sexual assault with a child under 13.
The 11-year-old's mom became aware of the alleged relationship after she caught her son on the phone with Bergmann. She took his phone and looked at his messages, where she found conversations between the pair.
Police officers were made aware after being called to the school and presented with screenshots of the text conversations, which discussed encounters between the student and the teacher.
The meetings allegedly occurred inside the classroom during lunch or after school.
Officers also found a folder in Bergmann's backpack which had the victim's name on it, and which contained handwritten notes. Many of the correspondence allegedly talked about the student and teacher kissing and 'making out' with each other.
A complaint cited by The New York Post quoted the notes in which the teacher allegedly told the student she 'loves him' and 'wants to kiss him'.
In another letter, Bergmann allegedly wrote: “One of my cousins is in the 5th grade and I can’t imagine a man talking to her how we talk.
"I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world but I have to be the adult here and stop.”
After handing in her resignation, Bergmann is said to have taken up residence at her grandparent's farm, according to friends who spoke to The Post.
She was engaged when she was hit with the charges, but the couple called off the wedding that was set to be held on 27 July after the allegations came to light.
However, friends claims the former couple are still in touch.
“They still talk, as far as I know,” one friend said, adding: "But obviously, everything has changed. He was betrayed in a really big way, but he was madly in love, and you can’t just turn that off.”
The friend went on to say Bergmann seems 'embarrassed' to face her friends.
“She’s ghosted everyone, which is kind of to be expected," they claimed.
Bergmann is free on a $25,000 bond and is set to appear in court next month as part of the ongoing case.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Emily Brown