A former West Michigan teacher will serve less than a year in jail for making inappropriate contact with a student.
Peter Twork, 58, pled guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct in December. On Monday, he was sentenced to 300 days in jail, with credit for 43 days served and 60 months on probation.
The charge stems from his time working in the woodshop at Coopersville Middle School.
“I’m ashamed of myself and deeply regret what I did. I know I hurt a lot of people, my family and the community I live in and work in for the past 25 plus years because of my actions,” Twork said before learning his sentence. “I am going to work on making things right and amends with my family and the ones I hurt because of my actions.”
Investigators started looking into Twork in May 2025, when they realized he was communicating with students over Snapchat.
They discovered he was frequently contacting a 14-year-old girl in particular.
Twork repeatedly “squeezed and fondled her buttocks” in his classroom, according to authorities. According to papers, this happened when they were alone in class and when other students were present but not paying attention.
A Coopersville Middle School girl told officers she walked into Twork’s classroom because she had forgotten her water bottle. When she went in, she says Twork’s hand was pinching the 14-year-old student’s buttocks.
Twork previously admitted to touching a student’s buttocks but told detectives it was an accident.
The woman told police that Twork would ask her what type of underwear she was wearing and if she was going to tell anyone, because “it could get him in trouble,” according to records.
Coopersville Area Public Schools Superintendent Matt Spencer provided a comment following the charge.
“Student safety is our top priority at Coopersville Area Public Schools. The individual is no longer employed by the District,” Spencer said.
As part of his sentence, Twork must pay court fees and register as a sex offender.
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