Former Minnesota teacher of the year found guilty of sexually abusing student
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A former Minnesota teacher of the year was found guilty Wednesday of sexually abusing a child while she was his student in 2017.
Soon after the guilty verdict was read aloud by the judge, a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy entered the courtroom to put Abdul J. Wright, 39, in handcuffs. He walked Wright out of the courtroom and into custody, where Wright awaits sentencing next month.
Under state guidelines, Wright will likely face 12 to14 years of prison for first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Last year, county prosecutors charged Wright after the mother of his former student reported the abuse. The mother recorded two phone conversations from May 2024 in which Wright “admitted to having sexual intercourse” with the victim, according to court documents.
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The woman, now 22, was in eighth grade at the time. Wright was her language arts teacher and had been named the state’s teacher of the year months prior. She was 14 years old.
MPR News is not naming the woman to protect her privacy.
Last month, she testified that Wright singled her out. She said he asked her to babysit his three school age daughters at school while he attended meetings, and that he worked to gain the trust of her mother. Wright began texting her inappropriately in December 2016, commenting on her looks.
“He made comments about my clothes, how they fit,” she told Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Evan Powell.
“How did those conversations make you feel at the time?” Powell asked.
“Definitely confused. I felt like the dynamic was still like I’m a child and he’s an adult. I’m not really sure what’s happening, but if he’s making it OK I guess it’s fine,” she replied.
She said he sexually assaulted her multiple times, often in classrooms at Harvest Best Academy after school hours.
Wright taught at Harvest Best for more than a decade. He later taught English at St. Louis Park High School and left the district in early 2024 when the allegations came to light.
On Wednesday, Sharon Evans, the victim’s grandmother, said she was happy “justice been served,” but said she’s still awaiting answers from the Minneapolis Police Department over what happened to the police reports she filed in 2017 over the abuse.
At the time, she said she was going to the police station twice a week to see who was looking into the case.
”Well, eight years later, ain’t nobody called me yet,” she said.
In March, the founder of what is now Harvest Best Academy was removed by the school board for allegedly failing to do anything after parents and staff brought forward complaints about Wright. A separate civil suit is pending against Harvest Best and Wright.
The victim’s father had also sought a restraining order against Wright and reached a settlement agreement limiting Wright’s contact with her in 2017.
In 2021, Aaron Hjermstad, a teacher who worked for a school now under Harvest Best Academy, was convicted for sexually abusing four boys.
He’s currently serving a 12-year prison sentence. Last month, he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 12 other victims, all under the age of 13, while coaching and teaching at two charter schools, including Harvest Best. He agreed to a sentence of life in prison, with a sentencing scheduled for November.
In a statement after Wednesday’s verdict against Wright, Harvest Best Academy said it “is thankful that Wright has been held accountable for his actions. We continue to express concern for the victim and the victim’s family. This incident has also been a challenge for our entire school community.”
“We continue to work hard as a school to make sure our learning environment remains safe, supportive and conducive to the success of all our students and staff members,” the school’s statement continued. “We will also have support resources available to help and support our students and staff as we all move forward from these tragic events.”
A 24-hour statewide sexual violence and domestic violence hotline is available in Minnesota. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.
