photo by: Mugshot from the Prairie Park Elementary School Yearbook

Mark E. Gridley is pictured with the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

Updated at 6:57 p.m., Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.

Lawrence Police launched an investigation Saturday into an alleged sexual assault of two students at Prairie Park Elementary School. A school employee has been charged — and his bond has been set at $1.5 million cash or surety, with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office calling the allegations “concerning and scary.”

A parent of one student called dispatch Saturday morning about events that occurred during the school day on Friday, Feb. 7, according to a news release Monday from Lawrence police. Investigators quickly uncovered evidence that led to the Saturday arrest of Mark Elliott Gridley, a 60-year-old speech and language pathologist at the school, 2711 Kensington Road.

According to the jail booking log, he was arrested at 9:10 a.m. Saturday at the school. He was formally booked into the jail at 11:04 p.m., according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Gridley, represented by attorney Vanessa Riebli of Johnson County, was charged Monday with one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of kidnapping. Both felony charges involve a child born in 2014. He appeared in court Monday afternoon via video from the Douglas County Jail, where his bond was set by Judge Blake Glover.

Deputy DA David Greenwald asked Glover for the high bond, saying “If your honor has read the charging affidavit in this case, the court knows how concerning and scary the allegations are.” Riebli did not contest the bond amount for Gridley, a tall, gray-haired man wearing thick glasses and jail garments, who did not speak except to say “thank you, judge” at the end of his court appearance. A mugshot of Gridley has not been released.

His next court date is at 9 a.m. Wednesday for a status conference.

Monday morning, investigators learned of a second possible victim. That alleged assault also occurred Friday morning at the school, police said. Sgt. Drew Fennelly, speaking to the Journal-World Monday afternoon, declined to say how investigators found out about the second case.

“We have a lot more to learn about this,” Fennelly said. “It will be a constantly evolving investigation.”

When asked about the kidnapping charge, Fennelly pointed to Kansas’ kidnapping statue and said that it did “not necessarily involve movement.”

When asked if there were likely to be additional victims, he said, “I don’t want to speculate, but it’s definitely a concern of ours.”

Police, in their release, said they were working closely with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Douglas County, school district administrators and the District Attorney’s Office “to ensure all expert services coordinate to uncover the complete scope of the potential harm and crimes committed.”

In addition to the on-site law enforcement presence, police have set up a phone line for parents who may need to report a concern about their child and any contact with Gridley. The phone number is (785) 830-7430.

Any parent who may have concerns about their child’s interaction with Gridley is asked to contact law enforcement before discussing it in-depth with their child. Fennelly said this was mainly to prevent possible re-traumatization.

Lawrence Police and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Douglas County are available to help speak with children. They are trained to address these issues while limiting the traumatic impact these discussions have on young victims, the release said.

Police said they would provide no further details at this time.

Lawrence Interim Superintendent Jeanice K. Swift in a message to school families and staff said that Gridley, a support staff member, was immediately terminated. Swift did not refer to Gridley by name.

“The Lawrence Police Department recently notified us of serious allegations leading to the weekend arrest and ongoing investigation into the conduct of this individual. The district immediately relieved the individual of all duties,” Swift wrote. “School and district administration continue to work closely alongside our law enforcement partners to support their investigative efforts. We will keep staff and families informed as the investigation progresses.”

Swift sought to assure families that the district has the highest standards for employees, but that because personnel matters are confidential, the district was unable to share additional information at this time.

“When a safety concern is reported, our administrative team immediately investigates, including involving local law enforcement, as appropriate. Based on the findings of the investigation, we take decisive action in accordance with the law and Lawrence Board of Education Policy,” she wrote.

Swift addressed the issue at Monday night’s school board meeting, saying “”Our number one priority, which is to keep our students, staff and families safe, and we’ll work through this concerning situation together over the coming days.”

The Journal-World has reached out to the district regarding how long Gridley has been on staff at the school.