Staff Report / May 14, 2026
A former substitute teacher and volunteer coach in the Canandaigua City School District has pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges stemming from inappropriate communications with underage students through Snapchat.
Michael Thompson, 27, of Canandaigua, entered guilty pleas to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in Ontario County Court. Prosecutors said Thompson exchanged inappropriate messages and photographs with two juvenile students between November and December 2025. Authorities alleged the communications occurred through Snapchat while Thompson was working in the school district.
Thompson was arrested in December following an investigation by the Canandaigua Police Department. According to district officials, Thompson worked a limited number of days as a substitute teacher at both the middle school and Canandaigua Academy during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. The district also stated he briefly served as a volunteer coach for indoor track and modified boys lacrosse, attending no more than two practices for each sport.
School officials previously said Thompson was immediately removed from the district’s substitute list after the allegations surfaced. The district also confirmed all public school employees in New York are required to complete fingerprint background checks before employment and emphasized that student safety remains a top priority.
Under the plea agreement, Thompson is expected to be sentenced on June 5 to one year of interim probation supervision and will avoid jail time. Ontario County District Attorney Jason MacBride said the case was handled seriously because it involved inappropriate communications with minors. The district attorney’s office also said victim advocates contacted the families involved before the plea agreement was publicly announced.
