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Educator arraigned on sex charges Suspect once honored as top social studies teacher in U.S. By JIM DAVIS A popular Medford teacher -- honored as one of the best in the country -- appeared in Jackson County Court on Tuesday charged with sexually abusing a family member. Jager Michael Dean Jager, 45, who has taught at Hedrick Middle School for 10 years, is accused of committing the abuse several times during a week in December 1995, said District Attorney Mark Huddleston. "The allegation was that the boy was asleep at the time and woke to the touching," Huddleston said. Medford police arrested Jager at his home at 1494 Angelcrest Drive on Monday night. The victim made the allegations last week. Medford Police Lt. Tim George said there is no indication that any of Jager's students were victims. "If there was any information on any additional victim -- a student or not -- we would investigate it," George said. Hedrick Principal Marjorie Lininger met with teachers before school Tuesday morning to discuss the arrest, said Steve Wisely, Medford school superintendent. Then Lininger went to each class where Jager teaches and offered students a chance to speak with school counselors. Wisely said no student had done so. Wisely said school officials learned about the allegations last week during spring break. He said Jager picked up his personal belongings and was placed on administrative leave Monday. Wisely said he would try to get a police report and sit down with the district's lawyer to determine the next action. "Certainly we have to be protective of the school," Wisely said. "At this point, this is something that is being dealt with by the police and it's a family matter and not related to his role as a teacher." At the hearing on Tuesday, Jackson County Judge Ray White told Jager that he was charged with three counts each of first-degree and third-degree sexual abuse. Medford lawyer Jim Mueller, a friend of Jager's who has had children in his classroom, spoke for Jager at the hearing. "He's an extremely well-respected teacher by the other teachers and by other students," Mueller said. White reduced bail for Jager from an initial $7 million to $100,000. He also set a preliminary hearing for next week. Jager had not posted the necessary 10 percent in cash -- $10,000 -- by Tuesday night. Besides teaching, Jager coached eighth-grade girls varsity basketball and seventh-grade boys junior varsity basketball. In 1994, a former student nominated Jager for the American Teacher Awards for his approach to teaching, including taking students on camping trips to better understand the conditions faced by the Oregon Trail pioneers. Jager was named the top social studies teacher in the country, along with 11 others honored as tops in their disciplines. More than 1,000 teachers were nominated for the awards. Last year, he helped a student make a "Stop the Violence" video in response to the school shooting in Springfield. A former colleague, who started at Hedrick the same year as Jager, said Jager was an ideal teacher. During his first year, Jager dressed up in a turban and a sheet for a discussion on the Middle East. Jager purposely wore bad ties ranging from "crazy Christmas ties" to a plastic tie filled with liquid and a plastic fish, said the former teacher, who asked not to be identified. Jager's wife, Connie, also a teacher at Hedrick, filed for divorce on Monday. She requested the custody of a daughter and ownership of a mini-van, a house and a boat. She also wants 25 percent of the net profits or royalties for an unpublished book Jager co-wrote called "Nuts & Bolts." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA