An educator has been arrested on rape charges after she had sex with an 11-year-old boy in a car outside of his Connecticut school.
Alyson Cranick, 42, was charged with two first-degree counts of sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor.
She allegedly had a two-month sexual relationship with a young boy when he was 11 and 12 years old in 2022. The incident was first reported in September 2023.
The boy told police the two ‘had sexual intercourse in her vehicle’ at Horace Porter School – a pre-K through eight grade school – and that he ‘snuck out of his house on at least 14 occasions’ during the night to meet with Cranick.
State Troopers said Cranick turned herself in on Tuesday and appeared at Rockville Court.
Alyson Cranick was charged with two first-degree counts of sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor after she had sexual intercourse with an 11-year-old
Cranick is pictured after a mud-run race. She is a married mom and frequently posts to social media about her life
The arrest warrant revealed the victim told police that he and Cranick communicated on iMessage and SnapChat.
Police obtained hundreds of flirtatious and sexual text messages exchanged between Cranick and the minor.
NBC Connecticut reported the warrant also revealed that Cranick made the boy a bracelet that read ‘BFFLWB,’ which stands for ‘Best Friends for Life With Benefits.’
The boy told police that during the overnight hours she either waited for him by ‘hiding behind a bush on a neighbor’s property- or walking up to his house.’
During an interview with the former educator, Cranick told authorities that she did not initiate sexual contact with the minor and that she ‘downplayed any inappropriate reasoning for communicating’ with the boy.
She went on to say that she only comforted the child because he was fearful about family issues.
According to school officials, Cranick was a paraprofessional in the Columbia school district and was most recently an administrative assistant at E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield.
She was later fired from the high school after the state finished the investigation.
The minor told police that Cranick and him ‘had sexual intercourse in her vehicle’ outside of Horace W. Port School in Columbia, Connecticut
During an interview with the former educator, Cranick told authorities that she did not initiate sexual contact with the minor and that she ‘downplayed any inappropriate reasoning for communicating’ with the boy
In a statement released by the Columbia School District, Interim Superintendent Barabara Wilson said: ‘It is with great regret that I must share this information with you today. As educators, we are entrusted to protect and educate all of our students.’
‘Maintaining appropriate faculty-student relationships and providing for the safety and wellbeing of our students at all times are critical,’ Wilson said.
Parents of students from the school were too distraught to comment on the situation when asked by Eyewitness News 3.
Cranick has a son and daughter (pictured) who she frequently posts on social media
‘Maintaining appropriate faculty-student relationships and providing for the safety and wellbeing of our students at all times are critical,’ school officials said
Cranick’s parents were told by the judge that they had to pay 10 percent of the $500,000 bond. They wanted to take her back to her home state of Pennsylvania, but were told that she cannot leave Connecticut.
Cranick is a married mother of two who frequently posts pictures of her son and daughter on social media.
In the letter to parents Wilson went on to say that anyone with concerns in regard to the matter are ‘encouraged’ to contact her, law enforcement, or the state’s Department of Children and Families.
‘My hope is that this horrific and appalling situation will not cast a shadow over the important work carried out by the Columbia School District’s teachers and staff members, who provide an outstanding education and safe environment for our students every day.’