An Emporia State University professor is on paid administrative leave as he begins the criminal court process in Johnson County for a charge of electronic solicitation of a minor.
Howard J Pitler, age 72, was arrested Wednesday and had his first court hearing Thursday. His next hearing is at 10 am on Halloween.
Pitler has one count of soliciting a minor under the age of 14, dating back to an alleged incident in February 2023. He was initially held on a $50,000 bond, but that was reduced to $25,000 at Thursday’s hearing. Other details are pending.
Pitler is an associate professor of school leadership, middle and secondary teacher education in the ESU Teachers College. He has been at ESU since 2018 and was teaching online master’s level courses. Before coming to ESU, Pitler was a principal at USD 259 Wichita, winning Kansas Principal of the Year in 1997 and National Distinguished Principal honors in 1999. He also worked at Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, or McREL, as chief program officer. Other honors include Apple Distinguished Educator and Smithsonian Laureate.
ESU Director of Media Relations + Internal Communication Gwen Larson says the university responded “immediately” after learning of Pitler’s arrest and put him on administrative leave, adding the “care and safety of students of all ages is utmost importance” with the Teachers College’s longstanding tradition.
Larson says the university cannot comment further on an ongoing investigation, but she says ESU is cooperating fully with authorities.