Former Pittsburgh Public School teacher found not guilty of sexually abusing student

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A jury has acquitted a former Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher who was accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a student.

James Ziegler was a fourth-grade teacher at Pittsburgh Faison in Homewood. A boy, now 10, said Zeigler forced him to perform sexual acts during detention when the two were alone.

Ziegler was placed on leave after a tip-off from Childline was received on December 21, 2022. Prosecutors said the alleged abuse occurred during lunchtime detention, which Ziegler supervises.

Zeigler’s lawyer argued that there was a lack of evidence.

“Having to go through this is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but here we are,” Ziegler said in court. “I’m not so discouraged that I would give up on the idea of ​​ever working in education again, so we’ll see.”

Ziegler would have faced more than ten years in prison.