Middle school principal Tasha Purnell has pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree rape and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
According to a press statement from the Delaware Department of Justice (DDOJ), the offenses that occurred between 2010 and 2014 involved a child under the age of 16.
At the time, Purnell, who went by Tasha Oliver in her professional life, was a teacher at Stanton Middle School, the DDOJ said. In 2020, she was appointed principal of A.I. Middle School, a position she held until September 2024, when she was dismissed. Both of these schools are part of the Red Clay Consolidated School District, which is located on the outskirts of Wilmington.
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When the Delaware State Police Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit started investigating the issue in September 2023, Purnell was placed on leave, but according to public documents, she was still paid.
It wasn’t until some months ago that local news site WHYY reported the story that parents and teachers learned about that investigation and a 19-count felony indictment that charges Purnell with multiple rape and other sex crimes against a girl who is a minor.
Purnell pleaded guilty on Monday, and the judge revoked her bond, directing her to be detained at the Delores J. Baylor Correctional Center until she is sentenced.
The 44-year-old now faces a long prison sentence. Although the charges entail a possible punishment of six to 75 years in jail, prosecutors will suggest a maximum of eight years after dropping 16 other felony sexual offense charges as part of a plea agreement.
“The sexual abuse of a child, in any case, is heinous,” Attorney General Kathy Jennings said, according to People. “When that abuse comes from an adult, much less a person in a position of trust such as a principal or teacher whose entire purpose is to guide and protect children, it is absolutely unthinkable.”
Jennings added, “The defendant will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I am truly grateful to our prosecutors and the Delaware State Police for their excellent work on this case.”
The ex-educator will be sentenced in August.
