SANDPOINT - It remains unclear if a former Sandpoint Middle School teacher's certification is in jeopardy as a result of sending inappropriate texts to a Lake Pend Oreille School District student.

Rodney Swerin's conduct is reportedly the subject of a Professional Standards Commission ethics complaint, but the Idaho State Department of Education said it can neither confirm nor deny the report.

"Disciplinary complaints and investigations are not a matter of public record and the PSC/SDE cannot comment publicly on any particular case unless formal disciplinary action is taken by the PSC," Brady Moore, a department spokesman, said in an email.

The school district referred inquiries about the reported PSC review to the state department of education.

Idaho's education administrative code requires educators to maintain a professional relationship with their students. Unethical conduct includes using inappropriate language such as making improper sexual comments, innuendo or idiomatic phrases.

The standards commission conducts an immediate review if an alleged action constitutes a violation of the code of ethics or state law.

Swerin admitted violating the code on Tuesday.

"I broke one of the codes of ethics for educators," he said.

Swerin, 54, retired as the school's life sciences teacher after the sexually-charged texts were brought to the attention of Sandpoint Police and the district's board of trustees in June. He was employed with the district for 17 years.

Swerin said the texts were a joke and told police they were the result of having too much to drink.

Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall called the texts "inappropriate and disturbing," but declined to seek a criminal charge because the messages fell short of meeting the elements of a felony enticement offense.

Swerin has no prior criminal record and district officials declined to say if complaints of misconduct against him have been made in the past.

The controversy remains the subject of vigorous debate.

Some defend Swerin as a dedicated teacher who would never harm a student, while others maintain that his conduct was alarming and inexcusable.