A Clay High School teacher charged in September with misdemeanor sexual imposition for improperly touching a female student has resigned.
Michael A. Heck, 54, of Curtice, Ohio, resigned effective April 8, Oregon Schools Superintendent Jim Fritz said Tuesday.
Mr. Heck, a science teacher at the school, had been on paid administrative leave since the beginning of the current school year, Mr. Fritz said.
He was charged Sept. 3 in Oregon Municipal Court with two counts of sexual imposition after “inappropriately touching and pursuing” a female student at the school.
In an interview with police, Mr. Heck said the girl would “open up to him with her problems” and that “he felt like a ‘father figure’ to her, or a counselor.” He admitted to touching her buttocks in May, 2023, but said he “instantly regretted it and that is why he apologized over text messaging later that evening.”
Along with text messaging, the police report cited two more physical incidents, in July, 2024, and the following month.
In July, Mr. Heck allegedly approached the victim from behind, grabbed her in a bear hug, and picked her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek before putting her down. On Aug. 24, he approached her from the front, gave her a hug, and allegedly said, “I love you and think you are beautiful.”
Mr. Heck most recently appeared in court March 31, and a pretrial conference was scheduled for June 2 followed by a June 25 trial date, municipal court records show.
First Published April 15, 2025, 2:51 p.m.
