A former middle school teacher accused of inappropriate behavior toward a student cried upon hearing that she will remain behind bars until her trial.
Prosecutor Kylie Finley said her office has 7,500 pages of incriminating text exchanges between the teacher, Ashley Fisler, and the boy.
In a video from an online court hearing, Fisler held her hands to her mouth and wiped her eyes as Judge William Ziegler ordered that she remain in jail to protect the public.
Highlights
- Ashley Fisler, a former NJ middle school teacher, is accused of grooming an underage student over multiple years.
- Prosecutors revealed 7,500 pages of incriminating texts showing Fisler's prolonged illegal contact and manipulation of the boy.
- Fisler allegedly continued explicit communications even after the boy asked her to leave his life.
Ashley Fisler was arrested last month after a student reported years of her illegal behavior to the police
Image credits: NJ.com
Trigger warning: this article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
The judge said the evidence allegedly showed the teacher “was able to surreptitiously keep this relationship between herself and the victim … that is, she hid the relationship from her husband, other people, and all others, and continued this relationship knowing his precise age.”
He also concluded that Fisler could contact the student if she was released while awaiting trial.
Image credits: COURTTV
“A person who has maintained and allegedly groomed a boy over a period of at least five years could have a substantial influence over him if, perhaps, she were to communicate with him.”
Fisler, a 36-year-old social studies teacher in New Jersey, is accused of sleeping with a student six times when he was 13 and 14 and sending explicit content for years until he reported her to the police in January.
The teacher was denied bail during a hearing on Wednesday (April 1).
Fisler, 36, had an emotional reaction upon learning that she would remain in custody while awaiting trial
Image credits: Arrests.org
According to prosecutor Finley, the teacher began grooming her underage student in 2020 when he was 12 years old, before sleeping with him.
Fisler allegedly slept with the minor in her car and in the classroom where she taught.
Additionally, she is accused of sending text messages to him in which she recounted their illegal encounters, made him describe intimate encounters he had with girls his age, and offered to buy him an adult toy.
Image credits: Ashley Fisler
Despite the preteen telling Fisler that she was negatively affecting him, she allegedly continued to send explicit photos of herself and sought the same from him.
In a message from January 2025, he wrote to Fisler, “I have to try really hard to rebuild the things you broke inside of me. You destroyed things inside of me. You stripped me of my innocence.”
In January of this year, Fisler reportedly continued to text the boy for days even after he wrote, “I don’t want you in my life anymore.”
Fisler, a former middle school teacher, is accused of grooming an underage student starting when he was 12
Image credits: COURTTV
On one occasion, the teacher admitted to forcing the student “to grow up abnormally quick” and said she took “the blame for all of this” after he discussed the mental health damage caused by their interactions.
The prosecutor claimed Fisler repeatedly manipulated the boy to keep him close to her for years.
Her illegal behavior allegedly continued after the minor moved on to high school.
“In December of 2023, the victim confides in the defendant that he’s struggling in school because he’s getting er*ctions more frequently in school. And the defendant’s response was, ‘Oh my God, that’s fantastic,’” prosecutor Finley said.
According to NJ.com, the 36-year-old showed little emotion as she listened to the accusations against her from jail.
She reportedly tried to hide evidence of her conduct by deleting old texts, telling police she did so because she frequently has affairs.
Fisler, who worked at Orchard Valley Middle School in Washington Township, is also accused of sending inappropriate content to two other students. She stopped teaching in 2023.
Fisler reportedly slept with the student on six occasions and sent and demanded explicit content from him
Image credits: Ashley Fisler
She is charged with six counts of aggravated s*xual a*sault, two counts of official misconduct, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Rocco Cipparone, Fisler’s lawyer, claimed there was no evidence to prove that she physically ab*sed the boy. He further argued that texts showed him willingly engaging with his teacher despite being a minor.
Cipparone alleged that the prosecutor had cherry-picked salacious messages and taken them out of context to make them more incriminating.
Image credits: COURTTV
“He’s not texting like a kid…his texts are as graphic and direct as any I’ve seen from an adult,” the lawyer said.
“I’m not saying he’s not the age he is, but this is not a babe in the woods scenario that Ms. Finley is creating from a risk and a danger perspective.
“The state’s evidence leaves something to be desired; it’s contextual, selective, salacious texts that will be challenged.”
The 36-year-old educator was respected in her community, with one student describing her as a "protector"
Image credits: Orchard Valley Middle School
However, Judge Ziegler said, “the state has a seemingly strong case where the testimony and or statements of the victim are lined up with and confirmed by the content of the text messages between himself and the defendant.”
Fisler was a respected teacher in her community. In 2019, one of her students wrote an essay for a statewide contest describing her as his hero and a “protector” who wanted to ensure students felt comfortable at school.
The essay, selected as one of four winning entries, was celebrated by Orchard Valley’s principal, who praised Fisler as an “energetic, dedicated, hard-working teacher who is passionate about teaching social studies.”
If found guilty, Fisler faces 20 years in prison. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 14.
