Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Prosecutors in Gloucester County, New Jersey, have charged former Orchard Valley Middle School social studies teacher Ashley Fisler, 36, with six counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of second-degree official misconduct over an alleged sexual relationship with a student in 2021. Police say the victim, now an adult, came forward earlier this year and reported multiple sexual encounters that allegedly occurred in Fisler’s vehicle and in her classroom while the student was in her class. Investigators reportedly recovered text messages between Fisler and the former student that they say confirm the sexual nature of the relationship. Each first-degree count carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and each second-degree count up to 10 years. District officials say Fisler, who worked in the Washington Township school district from 2014 until June 2023, is no longer employed there or in any other New Jersey district, and the case will feed broader concerns about how districts detect and respond to teacher–student sexual abuse.