St. Thomas Academy Teacher Accused Of Flirting With Students, Writing Paper For Marijuana

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A search warrant released Tuesday shows a St. Thomas Academy teacher wrote a paper for a student in exchange for marijuana and sent students inappropriate messages.

The document released Tuesday identifies the teacher as 45-year-old Kristin Marie Vanyo. School officials reported finding suspicious text messages between Vanyo and students on May 9.

One week earlier, a student showed a school official a text from a teacher that said, "I've never wanted to cheat with anyone in my life, but I want to with you." The student would not identify the teacher at the time, fearing retribution. A school investigation showed Vanyo had sent her cell phone number to four students. Her Schoology account, what the school uses for messaging and emails, was wiped clean.

Mendota Heights police officers spoke with Vanyo, who at first denied any wrongdoing. She eventually admitted to sending "flirty" texts to at least one student and said, "They weren't that sexual."

Officers asked her to read some of the texts. One said Vanyo offered to buy a student a $500 knife and intended to give it to him at school. The student questioned it, and she said, "If I can walk around with marijuana on me you can walk around with a shipping box with a knife in it."

The search warrant shows Vanyo brought several students lunch from off-campus.

Vanyo admitted to texting with five students. She said she offered to buy and deliver lunches to school, bought $120 in alcohol for students for the Military Ball and Prom, wrote a paper for a student in exchange for marijuana, asked students to go to a bar for drinks after school, offered to drive students to Duluth if they would skip school and bought marijuana from a student.

She also admitted to smoking marijuana with a student from midnight to 4 a.m. on May 3 in South St. Paul, but denied any sexual contact.

The search warrant shows Vanyo sent inappropriate text messages to students and they felt uncomfortable, but feared she would fail them if they came forward. No students reported sexual contact or sharing of pornography.

Vanyo was fired last week. The case remains under investigation.