A status hearing is coming next month for a longtime educator now facing charges of electronic solicitation of a minor.
Howard Pitler’s hearing is Dec. 11 in Johnson County District Court. Pitler has one count of soliciting a minor under the age of 14, dating back to an alleged incident in February 2023.
Prior to his arrest late last month, Pitler had been serving in the Emporia State Teachers College as an associate professor of school leadership, middle and secondary teacher education after starting at ESU in 2018. 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.
