PIERRE, S.D. — Two educators had their licenses permanently revoked, according to the South Dakota Department of Education. The notices of revocations were effective in December.
The DOE said the licenses of Todd A. Palmer and Jeickson Pichardo Castillo, 23, were revoked after scheduled hearings in October.
Palmer was a teacher in the Meade School District when he shared sexually explicit material of himself and his spouse on a Twitter account in December of 2021, according to DOE documents. Palmer’s Twitter account was connected to the high school’s athletics Twitter account, so any students or community members who followed the athletics account received a notification of the new account, according to the DOE.
According to the DOE, it is unknown how many students accessed the pornographic material on Palmer’s account.
Palmer resigned from the school district in December of 2021, according to the DOE.
Palmer’s license was immediately and permanently revoked because he violated ethics and standards of the DOE, the DOE documents said.
Pichardo Castillo was a high school teacher in Vermillion. He pleaded guilty in Clay County on April 12 to charges of abuse or cruelty to a minor and stalking, according to the DOE.
Pichardo Castillo sent electronic messages using explicit sexual references directed to a minor student. Pichardo Castillo also would harass the student via malicious messages and repeatedly expressed his desire to engage in sex acts, according to the DOE documents. Communication happened in December of 2020. It also included a period from March 2021 to Aug. 15, 2021, according to the DOE.
Pichardo Castillo’s license was immediately and permanently revoked because he violated ethics and standards of the DOE, the DOE documents said.
