The leadership of Dowagiac Union Schools has recently accepted the resignation of a Union High School English teacher following allegations that he was sending inappropriate messages to former students.

Jacob McCauley tendered his resignation to the school district prior to the beginning of the fall semester during the midst of an investigation into his alleged misconduct by administrators, said Union Schools Superintendent Paul Hartsig. The Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Education accepted the educator’s resignation during its meeting Aug. 15.

Administrators, led by the district’s attorneys, launched an investigation into McCauley’s misconduct in June after several students who had previously graduated from the district came forward with allegations that he had been sending them inappropriate messages through several social media websites, Hartsig said. McCauley resigned from his position before the district could bring tenure charges against him, the superintendent said.

“We take allegations of misconduct by our staff and employees very seriously,” Hartsig said. “Student welfare and education is our number one priority.”

Per the terms of his separation agreement with the district, McCauley’s health insurance and other benefits were terminated as of Aug. 31, and he was not entitled to any additional compensation or payments outside of any pay owed to him from his employment during the 2015-16 school year.

“There was no severance package,” Hartsig said. “He was not paid to leave the district.”

The Michigan State Police also conducted an investigation into the accusations against McCauley, though no charges were recommended based on their findings, according to a representative of the department.

According to investigation documents mailed to the Daily News by the state police, the department investigated allegations that McCauley had reached out to several students for dates or possible sexual relations in late September.

Detectives spoke with several graduates who claimed to have been contacted by McCauley, with the former students telling police that he had merely made inappropriate remarks to them; he did not have any sexual or otherwise inappropriate physical contact them, police said.

The Dowagiac Police Department is conducting a follow up investigation into the incident, speaking with several other students who they believe have been contacted by McCauley. Police reopened the case after learning of several additional students he may have had inappropriate contact with during his tenure with the school.

The district has not discouraged any of the former students making the accusations from coming forward to police or to parents about the messages, Hartsig said.

McCauley had been employed with the district since August 2010. On top of his duties as an instructor in the high school English department, he had served as the advisor of the school’s student newspaper, “The Chieftain Monitor,” as well as the student senate.

McCauley declined the opportunity to comment by the Daily News.