Former teacher found not guilty of corrupting student

Oct. 25—WILKES-BARRE — A former Luzerne Intermediate Unit teacher accused by Kingston police of corrupting the morals of a female student, suggesting the girl send nude photos to a boyfriend, has been cleared of the charge.

A Luzerne County jury after more than four hours of deliberating Wednesday declared Amy Burke, 43, of Dallas, not guilty of corruption of minors following a two-day trial before President Judge Michael T. Vough.

Burke, seated next to her attorney, Frank W. Nocito, was unmoved but her family in the courtroom erupted in cheers when the verdict was announced.

"We are very gratified that the jury found Mrs. Burke not guilty," Nocito said afterwards.

Burke, a reading and learning specialist with Luzerne Intermediate Unit, taught mathematics at West Side Career and Technology Center in Pringle when she was charged in 2019.

Court records alleged the student, then 15, confided with Burke about issues she was having with a boyfriend.

Burke allegedly told the girl to send the boy "nudes."

The student, now 20, testified she did not immediately report what Burke allegedly told her until cosmetology instructor, Kayla Mazur, overheard a conversation in a classroom in late February 2019.

During the trial, the student testified she was in cosmetology class when Burke entered and asked "Did you send them?" and "Maybe you'll get something out of it."

After Burke left the cosmetology classroom, Mazur asked the student what was talked about as the student and others around her were giggling.

Mazur, as a mandatory reporter of suspected child abuse, reported the conversation to her supervisor, which resulted in the corruption charge being filed against Burke.

Assistant District Attorney John Aciukewicz told the jury during his closing argument the student had no bias or prejudice toward Burke.

"(Student's name) has nothing to gain but to tell you the truth," Aciukewicz said.

Nocito told the jury Burke is a mother who warned her own daughter not to post nude pictures of herself. Burke's daughter testified during the trial.

"No mother is going to say she allows her 15-year-old daughter to send nudes and doesn't care. That's preposterous," Nocito said during his closing argument.

Nocito said "Did you send them?" actually meant school assignments and "get something out of it," referred to receiving extra school credit.