(KIWA Staff Photo)Paullina, Iowa — A teacher at South O’Brien is facing exploitation charges after an investigation.
The O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office tells us that the South O’Brien School District reported an incident in August involving a teacher who was employed by the district. The school district told law enforcement that they began an internal investigation after a report was made to them by a mandatory reporter that stated Priscilla Jenness had been sending Snapchats that were sexual in nature to a 17-year-old male student from another school district in O’Brien County.
The sheriff’s office says that some of the images allegedly sent to the 17-year-old were included in the report.
Sheriff’s officials say the South O’Brien School District fully cooperated with the investigation. The Sheriff’s Office says they conducted a 4-week investigation, which included search warrants for social media records, cell phone data, and interviews.
They tell us the incident appears to have occurred online. No physical contact between the parties involved is alleged.
They tell us 37-year-old Priscilla Jenness of Primghar is charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee and grooming, which are both class D felonies. If she’s convicted on either charge, she could face up to five years in prison.
She also faces a misdemeanor count of dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to a minor.
Jenness turned herself in to the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, September 5th, 2026. She was released after posting an $11,000 bond on the same day as her arrest.
O’Brien County Sheriff Bruce Devereaux reminds us that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
