Pittsburgh elementary school teacher under investigation for child porn allegations

PITTSBURGH — A teacher at a Pittsburgh elementary school who was recently suspended is under investigation for allegations involving child pornography, Target 11’s Rick Earle learned Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Public Schools officials said a teacher at Beechwood Elementary School was suspended last week for what district officials called allegations of “inappropriate use of technology.” A letter sent home with students informed parents of the teacher’s suspension but offered few details.%

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District officials confirmed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was the lead agency in the ongoing investigation but released no additional information.

Earle learned that the teacher in under investigation for child porn allegations.

According to multiple sources, the investigation began in Canada and led authorities to a computer at Beechwood Elementary School in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood.

“We aren’t saying anything at this point,” Margaret Philbin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh, told Earle.

Khaalid Walls, a spokesperson for Homeland Security also declined to comment, saying, “There’s no additional information available at this time.”

While authorities aren’t saying much, Target 11 learned that police in Ontario last month conducted a sweeping investigation into child sex abuse and child pornography.

Canadian authorities told Target 11 that while working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, they collected more than 2,000 IP addresses of people suspected of visiting child porn websites.

No charges have been filed against the Pittsburgh teacher at this time, but he remains on paid leave.

Cox Media Group