Sisters School District Superintendent Curt Scholl confirmed Thursday that a Sisters High School employee had been placed on leave from the district, but he was not able to comment further on personnel matters, he said.

“We are aware of the allegations that have been circulating in our community,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “We take such allegations very seriously and will follow our district protocol in addition to collaborating with any other agencies that are involved.”

The employee is choir and Americana Project teacher Rick Johnson, according to reporting by the Sisters Nugget newspaper.

The district, the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office are investigating allegations of inappropriate text messaging between Johnson and a former minor student, according to the Nugget.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office did not return calls for comment on Thursday.