Former Norristown teacher sentenced for attempted sexual assault

John Richards will serve 9 to 23 months in prison for propositioning a 13-year-old student.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 10:27am

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An extreme close-up of a crumpled piece of paper with handwritten text, conceptually representing evidence from a teacher's attempted sexual assault of a student.A harsh, gritty close-up of evidence from a teacher's attempted sexual exploitation of a student exposes the dark reality behind the abuse of authority.Norristown Today

A former teacher at Blockson Middle School in Norristown, Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 9 to 23 months in prison for attempting to sexually assault a 13-year-old student. John Richards pleaded guilty in September to showing the student a message on his phone indicating he wanted to kiss her during an upcoming school field trip he was set to chaperone.

Why it matters

This case highlights the serious consequences teachers can face for abusing their positions of authority and attempting to sexually exploit students, even if the assault was not physically carried out. It underscores the need for strict policies and oversight to protect vulnerable young people in schools.

The details

While working at Blockson Middle School, Richards showed an eighth grade student a typed message on his phone. The message indicated that he wanted to kiss the 13-year-old student twice during an upcoming field trip he was set to chaperone. Richards pleaded guilty to the attempted sexual assault charge in September 2025.

  • On Monday, April 7, 2026, Richards was sentenced to 9 to 23 months in prison.

The players

John Richards

A former teacher at Blockson Middle School in Norristown, Pennsylvania who pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually assault a 13-year-old student.

Blockson Middle School

The school in Norristown, Pennsylvania where Richards worked as a teacher and attempted to sexually assault a student.

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The takeaway

This case serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of strict policies, oversight, and accountability measures in schools to protect students from any form of sexual exploitation by teachers or other authority figures in positions of trust.