Police arrest elementary speech educator for allegedly sexually assaulting students

    LAWRENCE, Kansas (KMBC) -- A speech-language pathologist at a Lawrence, Kansas, elementary school has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two students last week.

The Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department was notified by a parent on Saturday about an incident that happened on Friday, Feb. 7, at Prairie Park Elementary School.

Evidence led police to 60-year-old Mark Elliot Gridley, a speech and language pathologist at the school.

On Monday, police learned that there was possibly a second victim who was allegedly assaulted on the same day.

Gridley has been charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child and kidnapping.

Lawrence police are working with the school district, district attorney and a children's advocacy center to determine the scope of the alleged assaults.

"We know for sure that we have two victims at this point," said Lawrence police sergeant Drew Fennelly. "We are concerned. We want to make sure that we identify the full scope of the investigation and all of the people that may or may not be involved."

Police also ask parents to contact law enforcement before discussing incidents in-depth with children, as police and child advocates are trained to talk about these situations with children while limiting trauma.

"There's a lot to go through here," Fennelly said. "There's a lot of information for us to work through. There's a lot of interviews that are going to need to be conducted. It's going to take a long time."

Lawrence Public Schools issued a statement to parents, saying Gridley was immediately relieved of all duties.

"Our continuing focus will be on ensuring ongoing support for our students, staff, and families as we work through this concerning situation," the district said in its statement. "Our district has the highest standards for our employees, who are entrusted to care for, educate, and support our community's children. When a safety concern is reported, our administrative team immediately investigates, including involving local law enforcement, as appropriate."

The district said it has mental health teams available to support students and staff.

Parents or community members who have concerns about their children and Gridley can call 785-830-7430.