Students in Decorah, Iowa, are reacting after music teacher Dustin Bliven, 48, was arrested last week by local police. Bliven, who works at Decorah High School, faces charges of sexual exploitation by a school employee.
One senior, who wished to remain anonymous, shared their surprise with KTTC, saying that while they never had Bliven as a teacher, they often saw him in the hallways. “He would always ask me how I’m doing and tell me to have a good day,” the student said. “I thought he was a really nice person.”
Logan Smith, a junior at Decorah High, recalled Bliven being his band teacher from 6th to 8th grade. Though they hadn’t interacted much since high school, Smith said he was “a very cool guy” and expressed shock at the arrest. “I couldn’t believe that he had done that,” Smith said. “He seemed like a kind and genuine man. It’s pretty shocking.”
The arrest has left the small town community stunned, as incidents like this are rare in such tight-knit areas. The senior student added, “It’s a small town, stuff like that doesn’t really happen here.”
While the Decorah Police Department declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, Superintendent Tim Cronin released a statement last week, assuring the community that the district takes all allegations seriously and is cooperating with law enforcement. Bliven has been placed on leave pending the investigation’s outcome, and the court hearing’s date is yet to be determined.
