SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Former Springville High School teacher and coach Dan Money released a statement Thursday in response to accusations of making inappropriate comments and unwanted physical contact with students.
“I have been an educator for 33 years in the Nebo School District and have appreciated my associations with students, teachers, and administrators. An effort is being made to circulate false allegations and innuendo against me. I categorically deny that I have engaged in the incidents falsely depicted in the media. Nevertheless, the unrelenting social media firestorm has been particularly harmful to me, my family, Springville High School, the District, and other relationships I hold dear. In an effort to move forward with my life, and to allow the high school and District to move forward without this unfair distraction, I will be resigning from my position. I am forever grateful for all the love and support I have received from colleagues, friends, family, and students past and present during this difficult time.”
RELATED: Springville High teacher accused of making inappropriate remarks to students resigns
More than sixty people reached out to Fox 13 News, messaging their stories.
FOX 13 decided to only share firsthand accounts of those dealing with Mr. Dan Money as a teacher.
For Phillip Graves, it was the late 90’s when he attended Springville High School as a student.
“He was a health teacher for me and then he was actually one of the coaches on the baseball team,” said Graves.
Mr. Money was a good coach and teacher, said Graves, but then there was an incident during a driver’s ed class.
Graves said he turned to put the car in reverse.
“I didn’t turn all the way and he wasn’t super happy with that,” said Graves.
According to Graves, Mr. Money grabbed his ear and “yanked it” to switch his body around so Graves would be looking in the right direction.
“It hurt,” said Graves. “He pulled it hard enough that there was a pop.”
Being only 15 years old, Graves said he didn’t know what do. Graves didn’t report the incident until this week, more than twenty years later.
Because he lives out of state, Graves used the Safe Utah App in addition to making a report and filed a formal complaint with the Nebo School District.
Earlier this week, former Springville High student Tiffany Shurtliff uploaded a pair of videos to YouTube in which she accused Money of sexually harassing her while she was a student at the school.
The accusations mirror comments posted on an online petition on change.org demanding Money’s firing. It generated more than 3,500 signatures by Monday afternoon.
Shurtliff was among a large group of current and former students who protested outside the schoolMonday morning, demanding district administration to take the allegations seriously.
Gloria Allred, one of the nation’s leading women’s rights attorneys, interviewed with FOX 13. Though not connected with this specific case, Allred said harassment often lands in civil court and not necessarily in a criminal court of law.
“It is a form of justice,” said Allred. “It is a form of making the wrong doer, the sexual harasser, accountable for what he or she has done.”
Sexual harassment itself is not ordinarily a crime under state or federal laws, said Allred, but certain conduct in the course of sexual harassment may be crimes.
Harassment, accusers said made lasting impacts.
“It was damaging and something that has stuck with me,” said Graves.
A spokesperson with the Nebo School District confirmed they will continue to investigate the allegations made, even though Mr. Money has formally resigned.
RELATED: Springville High teacher under investigation after accusations of inappropriate conduct
