A former special education teacher is being accused of having a sexual relationship with one of his former students.
CINCINNATI - A former special education teacher is being accused of having a sexual relationship with one of his former students. Ryan Cunningham , 33, has been indicted on three counts of sexual battery, one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, and two counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, Hamilton County court records show.
Cunningham, who was a longtime science teacher, met the victim at Skyward Academy, a school in Montgomery that provides different learning options for children and teens with learning disabilities. He was placed on administrative leave Feb. 23, 2026, and fired the next day after Montgomery police reported the allegations against him to the school, Superintendent Melissa Amrein said.
“Skyward Academy prioritizes the safety and well-being of its students. We take every available step to protect our students. Skyward Academy has cooperated fully with the criminal investigation and will continue to do so,” Amrein wrote in a statement. According to a police report, the abuse began in 2021 when the then-16-year-old student told Cunningham she had developed a “crush” on him.
Shortly after that, the victim began receiving Snapchat messages from an unknown user who would ask her about school and her feelings towards Cunningham, the report says. The user later revealed themselves as Cunningham.
“While she was a student, there was at least one occasion where Mr. Cunningham grabbed her thigh while they were sitting at a table. At another time, he told her to go on the stage and walk behind the curtain. Once back there, he kissed her,” Montgomery Police Officer Steve Hoy wrote in the report.
When she was 18, but still a senior at the school, the student and the suspect exchanged nude photos of each other on Snapchat, the police report alleges. On Feb. 24, 2026, Cunningham went to the police station for his interview regarding the allegations. The police report says he denied ever touching the victim’s thigh or kissing her school, despite the message that infers it happened.
However, Cunningham did admit to creating a fake Snapchat account, kissing the student after she graduated, and exchanging nude photos, the report says.
“Mr. Cunningham said that this time period was a rough time in his life between him and his fiancé and their mental health. He said that kept bothering him and he eventually broke down and entered this inappropriate relationship with her,” Officer Hoy wrote in the report. She reaffirmed the allegations that Cunningham denied, stating he kissed her on “Fun Friday,” and that he touched her thigh two to four times, the police report says.
It also alleges she received approximately seven to eight nude photos and three or four nude videos from the suspect. Only a Hamilton County Grand Jury has indicted Cunningham on the six charges, and a warrant for his arrest has not been issued as of May 4.
Additionally, Amrein says she has filed a report with the Ohio State Board of Education’s Office of Professional Conduct. More traffic alerts for downtown Cleveland due to filming
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