High school lunch lady accused of sending sexual photos to students

Canteen employee at the Secondary School in Florida was accused of sending sexually explicit photos to students.

Ashley Pearce, a 39-year-old cafeteria worker at Merritt Island High School, was arrested Monday by Brevard County sheriff’s deputies.

The student who received the photos reported the incident to local sheriff’s deputies, which began an investigation into Pearce.

She said she was accused of sending information harmful to a minor via an electronic device Florida today.

In addition to working in the high school cafeteria, Pearce also babysits children at Andersen Elementary School. She was suspended from both positions.

Investigators said Pearce gave the student information about her on social media and instructed her to follow her. Once the student did this, the two began sending direct messages to each other. The student ultimately blocked Pearce after she allegedly sent them a photo of her breasts and reported the interaction to police.

Pearce was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail Complex on $2,500 bail. Her trial date has not been set.

School officials delivered a message to parents on Monday, warning them of the arrest.

“Police arrested a food service employee for sending inappropriate photos to an underage student at Merritt Island High School. “Brevard Public Schools is fully cooperating with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in the investigation of this incident,” the school said in a statement. “We understand how distressing this news may be for our community. The safety and well-being of students at our school is always our highest priority. This is an active and ongoing police investigation.”

Deputies are reportedly still investigating whether there are any other alleged victims.