Venable Elementary School fourth grade teacher Corey Schock was arrested on Monday, February 10, on two counts of possessing child pornography and one count of use of a communications system to solicit child pornography. The arrest stunned parents of students at the school, who described him as one of its most popular teachers.
“Everyone wanted Mr. Schock,” said one mother, who requested her name not be used, and who said she’d known him for years. “He is a fantastic teacher.”
Last year, Schock, who worked for Charlottesville City Schools from 1997-2000 before returning to the school system as a teacher in 2007, was one of 41 local educators to receive a Golden Apple Award, given for teaching excellence.
In a recorded phone message to parents of all city school students, Superintendent Rosa Atkins assured parents the school system did not believe Schock’s students had been victimized, a message echoed in an e-mail to Venable parents from the school’s principal.
“At this time, there is no information that links any Venable students to this investigation,” wrote Principal Erin Kerschner.
According to a joint statement by the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Virginia, a federal search warrant was executed at Schock’s residence on Monday. The investigation began in Northern Virginia on December 10, 2013, and Schock was identified as a suspect on February 5. The state and federal investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Nick Rudman at 434-710-0519.
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