Dowling Catholic High School Teacher Kristen Gantt Charged With Sexual Exploitation of Student

According to police, a West Des Moines teacher Kristen Gantt was arrested for sexual exploitation.

Police captured 36-year-old Kristen Gantt at around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday.

West Des Moines police say that allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student led to the arrest of a Dowling Catholic teacher.

On March 21st, police got informed of a possible inappropriate relationship between a student and a teacher.

The teacher and a 17-year-old male student had a relationship on school property between February and March 2023, according to the findings of a police investigation.

Gantt got charged with the following:

• Sexual Exploitation by School Employee
• Sexual Contact by School Employee

Dr. Dan Ryan, director of Dowling Catholic, said in a statement that the allegations led to the immediate placement of Gantt.

Since Gantt got arraigned, Ryan said Gantt isn’t returning to Dowling Catholic:

“Our goal at Dowling Catholic is to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff,” the statement says in part. “Therefore, any accusation, even from an anonymous source, is taken very seriously.” Now that this is a criminal matter, I won’t be able to share many details. “I can tell you this individual will not be returning to DCHS.”

When you look it up on the school’s website, Gantt isn’t listed as a faculty member of the school’s English department.