A Lowell middle school teacher was charged Wednesday for allegedly sending a partially nude photo of himself to a 16-year-old boy through a social media app, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said.
Jaryd Palmer, 34, of Andover, was arraigned in Lowell District Court on a charge of disseminating obscene matter to a minor, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.
Bail was set at $500 cash. If he posts it, Palmer is to have no contact with the victim. He also may not have unsupervised contact with children, the statement said.
He is due back in court on July 1.
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“This case serves as an important reminder to parents and children that it is critical to have open and honest communication around social media,” said District Attorney Marian Ryan in the statement. “We need to remind our young people that if something is happening online that is making them uncomfortable, feels inappropriate, or in this case is illegal, they need to immediately report it to a trusted adult.”
The boy’s parents reported the incident to Tewksbury police after Palmer allegedly sent him a photo of his genitals. The boy took a screenshot of the photo to show his parents. He and the boy were communicating on Snapchat when Palmer sent the photo, and the boy told Palmer to stop sending inappropriate photos to him, the district attorney’s office said.
Palmer, a middle school teacher in Lowell Public Schools, was then arrested Tuesday, the statement said.
Lowell Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
The incident remains under investigation.
Madison Mercado can be reached at madison.mercado@globe.com.