Van Buren teacher banned from grounds

KEOSAUQUA - Van Buren Community School District will not allow its secondary physical education teacher, Adam Hardin, to return to school as a teacher nor be allowed on the campus without prior permission and accompanied by district administration, according to a memo the school sent out to parents.

The memo also asks students not to respond if Hardin contacts them.

Hardin faces up to 11 years in prison after he was charged with unlawful use of a weapon on school premises and possession of a controlled substance in an incident Oct. 27 at Culver-Stockton College, Canton, Missouri.

The Lewis County, Missouri, prosecutor filed the complaints Oct. 29, charging Hardin with possessing more than 35 grams of marijuana and knowingly carrying a loaded firearm onto the Culver-Stockton College premises.

Hardin was accused of displaying a weapon toward a 'designated driver” and who drove him to Hardin's West Point residence to get marijuana and return to Culver-Stockton that night. The victim reported it to campus police and Hardin was arrested.

Bond was originally set at $25,000, but Hardin was allowed to post 10 percent cash bond, or $2,500. His attorney argued that Hardin 'does not have sufficient funds” to post the $25,000 bond nor was he a flight risk. The Lewis County prosecuting attorney stated he had no objection, and the judge agreed to reduce the bond. Hardin posted bond and was released.

Hardin was ordered not to enter the premises of Culver-Stockton College, have no contact with the victim and obey any order of protection entered against him.

According to his motion to reduce bail, Hardin is a graduate of Culver-Stockton, with a bachelor's degree in education in 2005. He obtained his master's degree in education and school administration in approximately 2010. He grew up in the West Point area and graduated from Central Lee in 1999. He was hired by Van Buren in August 2018.

The Van Buren school district officials issued this memo to parents Thursday: 'Because of the serious nature of the charges, our secondary physical education teacher, Mr. Hardin, will not be returning to our school as physical education teacher nor will he be allowed on our district campus without prior permission and accompaniment by district administration. We would respectfully ask that you tell your student not to reach out personally to Mr. Hardin and to not respond if he reaches out to your student via text messages, phone calls, or any other form of communication.

'Please ask your student to share anything unusual with you or someone at the district at any time, if they are ever concerned about a communication. If your student does report anything to you, we would appreciate it if you could let us know.

'We realize that this teacher developed what seemed to be very positive relationships with our high school students, as well as our football players. We also believe that because many of our students liked and respected Mr. Hardin, it is fair to share with you as much information as we can, and to assure you that we will be doing everything to ensure your children's physical and emotional safety.

'This is an unfortunate situation, and whatever feelings you have are valid. I am sure you all know that this behavior is not at all representative of our teachers and coaches at Van Buren and that our students are safe with the adults around them in our district.

'If your student is feeling the need to talk, or if he/she has questions, please don't hesitate to schedule an appointment with Mr. Adams, Mr. Bunnell, or Mrs. Chapuis.

'Mr. Simmons and Mr. Pratt will be teaching physical education for the immediate future. We will continue to keep you informed of any personnel changes next semester or beyond.”