Wake County teacher arrested following WRAL investigation into letters alleging abuse

A Wake County teacher, James Rencher, has been arrested on 12 counts of assaulting students with disabilities following an investigation by WRAL News. The alleged abuse took place in the fall semester of 2022 at East Wake High School. Rencher left the school in November 2022 and transferred within the district to Herbert Akins Road Middle School, according to the Wake County Public School System. Documents show Rencher was employed from November 2022 until April 2024 at Herbert Akins in Fuquay-Varina. Rencher, 58, resigned when WRAL began investigating the abuse allegations.
Court documents state Rencher -- a former East Wake High School teacher -- placed his hands on a student’s legs and forcibly made the student take steps, the student then fell down the stairs. In another case, Rencher allegedly pushed a student’s head as the student entered the bathroom. In a separate instance, Rencher kicked a ball a student was seated on, the student fell to the ground and made loud noises. The alleged victims were students in Rencher's special needs classroom and are non-verbal, according to the documents.
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