Deputies: Substitute teacher charged with sexual assault of 14-year-old student

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Rowan County deputies charged a substitute teacher accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student at the school.

Deputies said on May 20, the school resource officer at Faith Academy Charter School was told by school administrators that a student had been sexually assaulted by a substitute teacher.

The teacher was identified as 68-year-old Michael Carl Chapman of Salisbury.

The sheriff’s office said the incident allegedly happened on campus while Chapman was on the job.

Chapman was arrested and charged on Aug. 30 with felony taking indecent liberties with a student. He was given a $75,000 secured bond which he posted the same day, deputies said.

Faith Academy Charter School said Chapman “was released of his duties” and hasn’t returned to the school since the incident. They also said they require federal background checks on all their employees.

Parents told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty on Thursday that they are thankful for the charter school’s quick action.

“I’m happy that Faith found out what was happening and took care of it fairly fast,” Mikayla Taylor said.

“It’s terrible. You can’t trust nobody.”

The charter school said with the help of the school resource officer, they interviewed the students in that classroom and Chapman when they learned of the allegation.

The following is the school’s full statement:

“Faith Academy Charter School Board of Directors, Administration and Staff take the safety and security of our students and school community seriously. Our top priority is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for our students to learn and grow within. All candidates for employment, full or part-time are subject to a federal background check prior to starting work at our school.

“In late May, 2024, our school staff and administrative team responded expeditiously to a student report of misconduct by a substitute. With the assistance of our SRO, the administrative team interviewed students from the classroom and the substitute at the time of the incident. The substitute was released of his duties upon receipt of the report from the student and has not returned to the school campus since the incident. Our school staff and Board of Directors will not tolerate misconduct of staff members or students. A report was made to the Rowan County Sheriff’s department to investigate the alleged incident. We are thankful to the Sheriff’s department for their support in investigating this incident and securing an arrest warrant.”

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