Mom presses district for change after prosecutors say teacher stalked her daughter

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    OLATHE, Kan. (WDAF) — The mother of a young girl who prosecutors say was stalked by a former Olathe teacher is speaking out for the first time about the trauma her family is going through.

“You send your kids to school every day thinking they are safe and in great hands. To know that wasn’t the case, I just felt sick,” the local mom said. FOX4 is not identifying her by name due to privacy concerns.

Her daughter, who attends Meadow Lane Elementary School, is at the center of a stalking case where a former 4th grade teacher, 58-year-old James Loganbill, took hundreds of photos and videos of the child.

According to court documents, he told leaders at the school he was attracted to the 10-year-old student.

“Had admitted (to) having an obsession and fixation of my daughter,” the metro mother said. “A few of her friends came up to her and let her know they had been speaking with the councilors and principals the past couple of days. They had seen their 4th grade teacher taking inappropriate pictures and videos of my daughter.”

Loganbill is charged with reckless stalking, which is a Class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of one year behind bars.

The Olathe mom said she quickly made it her mission to push for stricter laws, teaming up with local bipartisan legislators and creating the foundation #NotYourDaughter.

She said there’s still more work to be done, starting with Olathe Public Schools.

“We don’t want any other kid in the district to have to go through these things,” she said. “We need an answer as far as how we are going to keep these kids safe, more than ever.”

She said the district’s poor handling of the matter made the situation worse.

She’s now pressing the district for a full audit of teachers and a policy on how teachers and employees use personal phones and electronics to take photos and videos of students. She’s also calling for a zero tolerance policy of teachers found guilty of exhibiting inappropriate relations or sexual intent of children with immediate termination.

“We are not going to stay silent on it, and that’s the thing — this is a big issue,” the metro mom said. “We talk about how we are going to keep kids safe with COVID right now, but we need answers on how to keep kids safe from predators within school.”

FOX4 reached out to Olathe Public Schools, and a spokesperson issued the following statement:

“The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority. Any instance of reported misconduct against a student or staff member is taken seriously and thoroughly investigated. While the district cannot provide additional information for instances involving legal matters, the district has completed a full review of HR processes and procedures and remains committed to providing a safe environment for students to learn and grow.”

Loganbill appeared in court Tuesday and entered a not guilty plea. His next court appearance is set for Sept. 14.

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