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Fairmont Junior High teacher and coach from Boise, Idaho, Eric McDermott, was reportedly arrested on Monday, April 17. He was under suspicion of r*ping a minor that he allegedly taught before. Eric McDermott was accused of r*pe and s*xual battery by lewd or lascivious actions on a boy aged 16 to 17.
During a video arraignment on Monday, prosecutors alleged that 59-year-old McDermott taught the male juvenile when the teenager was 15 years old. They further stated that Eric McDermott most likely reached out to the boy through a dating site that was mainly used for hookups. The boy was 16 years old in 2020 when the incident reportedly occurred.
After the teen and McDermott talked for several days and sent each other n*de photographs, Eric McDermott allegedly drove the minor to his house and s*xually assaulted him.
When the Boise Police Department sent an arrest notification to Fairmont Junior High, the School District placed the 59-year-old teacher on leave effective immediately. This information was disclosed when a letter was sent out to parents by the district's spokesperson, Dan Hollar.
Eric McDermott of Fairmont Junior High is detained at the Ada County Jail
Eric McDermott was a geography teacher who doubled as the boys' basketball coach at Fairmont Junior High in Idaho. He was a vocal advocate for the LGBT community and was outspoken about his pro stance.
Eric McDermott was also known for promoting s*xually explicit literature aimed at teenagers on an online reading forum called Goodreads. Although he admitted that the material in the books was "probably a bit more mature for this group's target audience," he made several copies of the book series available for Fairmont Junior High students to borrow.
Eric McDermott is reportedly being detained at the Ada County Jail. According to The Post Millennial, his bail amounts to $1 million, and a preliminary hearing has been set for April 27 at the Ada County Courthouse at 8.30 am.
Dan Hollar, the spokesperson for the Boise School District, released a letter to all parents in the district stating:
"We understand that this news will raise concerns about student safety and we want to assure our families that the District is fully cooperating with law enforcement and prosecutors as they investigate this matter."
"I do not feel safe sending my child there": Parents concerned about the safety of their children at Fairmont Junior High
Following the arrest of Eric McDermott, parents of Fairmont Junior High are contemplating pulling their children from the school due to safety concerns.
Amanda Baldi, a parent of a student at Fairmont Junior High School, said:
"They are not doing what they are supposed to be doing to keep our children safe."
Parents from Fairmont are speaking up about their children's safety and pulling them from the Boise school before the semester ends.
Rosemary Garrett, another parent of a student at Fairmont Junior High School, said:
"I do not feel safe sending my child there, so I need to figure out what I need to do so she can take her finals and go to high school."
The parents say that their decision is not solely focused on Eric McDermott's arrest due to s*xual misconduct but also because of the numerous incidents that the school mishandled.
Rosemary Garrett continued:
"It's been a whole mixture of things, not being done, and not it's gone to the point that somebody got r*ped."
Parents are considering homeschooling since that is the only way they will know if their children are safe amongst misconduct in schools and increasing gun violence.
Previous incidents of s*xual misconduct at Fairmont Junior High
This isn't the first time Fairmont Junior High's staff has been accused of s*xual misconduct. Fairmont social worker Scott Crandell died by suicide last December when police began investigating him. Crandell was allegedly victimizing a student in their early teenage years.
The police received an anonymous tip that led them to begin investigating the matter. The tip said:
“A school social worker (Scott Crandell) having an inappropriate sexual (?) relationship with” the student. “This is happening at Fairmont Junior High School in Boise. I want to be clear that I do not know if this is a sexual relationship, but we are concerned it is and want law enforcement to investigate.”
In January 2023, the city's prosecutors charged Christopher Ryan, Fairmont Junior High's former principal, for “failing to notify law enforcement of reports made to him and/or conditions observed by him that (the student) was being abused," according to the charging document. Ryan was moved into an administrative position within the Boise School District.
Crandell passed away due to suicide on December 17 at a hotel in downtown Boise, according to the coroner's report. According to detectives, Crandell's alleged crime had one victim on record in 2020.
