Former S-GI teacher and Colden resident sentenced to jail, probation time

A former Springville-GI coach and science teacher, Steven Harms, who pled guilty last September to having sex with a 15-year-old student, was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years of probation.

Erie County Judge Kenneth F. Case, who presided over the trial and handed down the Jan. 4 case, said that the Colden resident had “shattered the very foundation upon which schools are built.”

Last year, the student in question, who is now 22 years old, approached authorities about the sex incident, which occurred in Harms’ home in August 2004. The defendant was indicted in June and pled guilty, incurring suspension from his job as a Springville teacher and coach. “Mr. Harms resigned from his position in August of 2011 . . . and we no longer have an employer/employee relationship with him,” said S-GI Superintendent Dr. Paul Connelly, who added that Harms also surrendered his certification for teaching in the United States.

Saying that the victim, whose name has not been released, had requested that Harms not receive a lengthy jail sentence, Case commented that he showed deference to her plea, but that the teacher’s “betrayal of trust demanded punishment.” While Harms’ Defense Attorney, Barry N. Covert, asked that the sentence be as minimal as a community service order, Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III called Case’s ruling “appropriate, given the defendant’s crime.”

When he is released from prison following the six-month sentencing time, Harms will be subject to 10 years of probation time and be listed as a Level 2 sex offender. According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, individuals assigned to the Level 2 risk level are considered at a moderate risk of a repeat offense. Per the DCJS, “Level 2 ... sex offenders are required to be registered for life.”

The Springville-GI District has a code of conduct, including a fraternization policy, but Connolly stressed that employees make their own choices, and “we don’t have policy police. But that’s why social workers and counselors are so important. We want kids to feel comfortable to tell us when there is something we should look into. Without that information, there’s nothing we can do.”

Harms stood during his sentencing and called his sex act with the S-GI student “the worst mistake of [his] life.” He told the judge that the incident was the first and only incidence of that type of behavior on his part, and he promised the court that he would not engage in conduct of this manner again. “I’m sorry for my actions [and] I pray God will forgive me for my sins,” he told Case.

Calling the incident “extremely unfortunate,” Connelly said that the district is “very displeased that Springville is painted in people’s perception as a place where this could happen.” He added, “We feel bad for all the people who were affected and we sincerely hope that nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Harms was removed from the courtroom last Wednesday to begin his prison term.