Plum HS Student Says Teacher Publicly Intimidated Her Into Silence On Sex Affair

A Plum Senior High School student said at a hearing Wednesday that a science teacher threatened her into silence in front of the whole class after another teacher was arrested on charges he had sex with her, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The teacher, Drew Zoldak, 40, told the class that he had missed school because he had been questioned by detectives “because of her,” and pointed at the girl, the report states.

The girl said that Zoldak’s comments made her feel like cooperating with detectives was the wrong thing to do, according to the report.

Joseph Ruggieri, 40, another teacher at the school, has been charged for having sex with the girl, the report states.

Zoldak’s lawyer denied that Zoldak attempted to intimidate the girl, and that there was a different series of events, but did not elaborate, saying they would be revealed during the trial, according to the report.