Michelle Mercogliano, married special education teacher at Conestoga High School in Chester County, accused of plying teen boy with medical marijuana and having sex with victim 15 times since February, including at her parent’s home.
A married Pennsylvania special education teacher faces up to 63 charges for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old student in her parents’ home after plying her male victim with marijuana.
Michelle Mercogliano, 35, a teacher at Conestoga High School in Chester County, PA, allegedly had sex with the teen student around a dozen times since February after picking him up after school and taking him to buy him medical marijuana, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WPVI.
‘After traveling to the marijuana dispensary, Mercogliano and [the teen] would smoke marijuana together and have sex, usually in a bedroom at her parents’ residence,’ police wrote in the complaint.
Special education teacher plied boy with weed before having sex up to 12 times, including at her parent’s home
The Tredyffrin Township Police Department launched an investigation Monday after being contacted by the accuser’s family about the alleged relationship. Notice of the illicit relationship came after the boy told his sister about Mercogliano who in turn informed their parents.
Filed charges against Mercogliano include institutional sexual assault and corruption of minors stated the Chester County District Attorney’s Office in a Facebook release.
‘The calculated actions by this defendant are shocking and disturbing,’ said Chief Michael Beaty.
‘We are here to support the victim and his family as we collectively work to rebuild the trust damaged by her criminal endeavors,’ Beaty added.
Mercogliano and her student victim allegedly had sex about 12 times, and often in Mercogliano’s parents’ home in Wayne, according to the complaint.
Mercogliano was also said to have provided the boy with pot about 15 times.
She allegedly communicated with him through Snapchat ‘as to go undetected,’ or via text message.
Abuse of position of trust, authority and power
The educator is described as being an academic support teacher at the high school along with working as an adjunct professor at Immaculata University, teaching Italian, according to the district’s website.
The Tredyffrin Easttown School District confirmed that Mercogliano was ‘immediately’ placed on leave after it learned of the allegations this week, according to a letter sent out to the school community.
She’d been teaching at Conestoga since the fall and previously taught at Hillside Elementary School from 2019 to 2024. She had worked as a paraprofessional at Hillside Elementary and Valley Forge Elementary Schools from 2014 to 2018.
‘We have no information at this time to indicate that the criminal investigation involves other students,’ Superintendent Richard Gusick said in a statement.
Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe said: ‘Parents and students should be able to trust their teachers. The Defendant broke the law and destroyed that trust. It will not be tolerated.’
‘The calculated actions by this Defendant are shocking and disturbing,’ Tredyffrin Township Police Department Police Chief Michael Beaty said.
‘We are here to support the victim and his family as we collectively work to rebuild the trust damaged by her criminal endeavors.’
Mercogliano has not yet been arrested, but the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said she had been ‘cooperative and arranging an appropriate time to turn herself in via her attorney.’
