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Updated – July 15, 2022

A 10th grade geometry teacher at Williamsport High School is facing two sets of charges, both involving sexual contact with minors. Christopher Yoder has been suspended from his job since May 14, 2021, one day after a Childline report about the first suspected abuse was referred to city police.

Yoder had a preliminary hearing in October 2021 after he had been accused of making inappropriate comments to two female students and having unlawful contact with one of them. Judge Christian Frey ruled in favor of the prosecution, saying there was “more than enough” evidence to proceed to trial.

In July 2022, ten new charges were filed against Yoder after he was accused of having sexual intercourse with a student he began grooming while she was in eighth grade. The relationship started when the student began staying after school for extra help in a class and progressed to the point where Yoder would pick her up as she was walking home from school and sexually assault her.

Additional charges were filed for a 2020 incident where, as supervisor of the weight room, he suggested to a student that she go in the bathroom and take a picture of herself to show him her weight loss. Yoder remains free with a total of $310,000 unsecured bail.

Updated – June 28, 2022

On June 20, 2022, Williamsport High School Principal Roger Freed was charged with 30 felony charges. Freed is accused of sexual contact with a minor student, corruption of minors, and furnishing liquor to a minor. He allegedly maintained a 7-year-long sexual relationship with a student that continued after the student graduated high school and was in college.

A spokesman for the Williamsport Area School District (WASD) released the following statement:

In light of these accusations, the Woodward Township Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the school district demanding that Superintendent Dr. Timothy Bowers be terminated. The letter states:

“The latest revelation of multiple, serious allegations of victimizing misconduct from a school principal is just one of a series of improprieties, and just one that has been publicly disclosed. This tells us that a full, transparent investigation of how the in-house administration has been (or has not been) working to prevent such improprieties is definitely in order.” 

The letter goes on to say:

“We also believe that the current superintendent, having failed to assure protection to the children, should be terminated.” 

Williamsport Area School District, located in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, has 4,930 students enrolled across 8 schools.