Northeast Iowa Teacher Charged with Inappropriate Contact with Student

A Northeast Iowa teacher has been accused of having inappropriate contact with a student.

The Decorah Police Department (DPD) says they received a report February 15th from an individual with concerns about what they felt was an inappropriate relationship between a Decorah High School teacher and a student. A DPD media release issued Friday (02.21) afternoon noted that the reporting party provided evidence that allegedly substantiated the claims. That led to officers making contact with the student and the discovery of what was considered additional corroborating evidence.

DPD then informed the Decorah Community School District administration of the active investigation, which led to Friday’s arrest of  48-year-old Dustin Bliven. He has been charged with sexual exploitation of a school employee, a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint, Bliven is accused of engaging in a “pattern of behavior” with a student that was inappropriate and sexual in nature, involving “physical touch.” Investigators say incidents of the alleged actions occurred between October 2024 and February 15, 2025.

Social media posts indicate that Bliven was the band director for Decorah Community Schools.