A former swim coach with the Riverside School District in Ellwood City, Pa., has been charged with 34 counts of sexual assault, according to the North Sewickley Township Police Department.
Alaina Marshall, 29, was charged after allegedly having sex with an underage student on school property.
According to CBS News, Beaver County detectives contacted North Sewickley police on February 16 about a ChildLine call that indicated a student on the Riverside swim team was in a sexual relationship with Marshall.
Police contacted both the parents of the student and the student himself on February 18. In the criminal complaint, the student revealed he had broken up with his girlfriend in 2023 and would talk to Marshall about it. The relationship between them eventually progressed into a sexual one, and during his sophomore year at the age of 16, the two had intercourse at another high school in the area, Blackhawk High School, after a swim event.
“Parents send their students to school, they have them in sports programs and think they are safe and not thinking inappropriate relations are happening, and it’s even more troubling when you think about the power dynamics,” said Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible, according to Channel 11.
“We received notice toward the end of last week from a school resource officer in the Riverside School District that he had heard rumors that a student was possibly having an inappropriate relationship with the swim coach,” Bible said.
The student said they engaged in sexual activities approximately 10 times in late 2023 and 17 times during his junior year in 2023-24. During the summer months of 2024, he revealed they had sexual encounters every day when he and Marshall would lifeguard at the Riverside pool and would engage with each other after the pool closed.
The Riverside School District issued a public statement following the charges being made:
“The Riverside Administration was informed that a former coach was arrested this morning. We understand that the former employee was allegedly involved in misconduct involving a high school student-athlete. The district assures the community that the individual is prohibited from entering district property. As this is a police investigation, we cannot provide further details now. We encourage anyone with information to contact the North Sewickley Police Department at 724-843-8118 or the Safe2Say (1-844-723-2729) Anonymous Tip Line.
“An internal review confirms that all state and local requirements relating to background and pre-employment checks [were] completed for this individual. The safety and well-being of our students are our top priority, and we remain committed to supporting our Riverside students and families.”
Marshsall was recently working as a contracted school therapist—her employed, Glade Run Lutheran Services, told Channel 11 she is no longer employed.
Seneca Valley School District, where she was previously contracted, released the following statement to Channel 11:
“Glade Run, a third-party contractor for individualized therapy services, has informed Seneca Valley that Alaina Marshall, a Glade Run employee, has been placed on leave arising from charges that are unrelated to Seneca Valley School District. While Ms. Marshall was previously assigned to provide services within the district, she is not presently working in any capacity at Seneca Valley.”
Marshall was charged with 34 felony charges for having sexual contact with a student, along with charges for corruption of minors and unlawful contact. Marshall turned herself in on Wednesday and was placed in Beacver County Prison. A $250,000 bail was set and Marshall posted bond. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 7.