A teacher at a Jewish private school in Massachusetts was placed on leave after a young student tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection — and at least two other children were allegedly subjected to “inappropriate physical contact.”
The male teacher at the Solomon Schechter Day School, who was not identified, was placed on leave on Oct. 31 after one of his students contracted an STI, according to a local report.
Once the teacher was axed, at least two other families reported that their children had also “described inappropriate physical contact” with the same teacher during the previous school year, according to an email sent to the school community on Jan. 15, obtained by The Boston Globe.
Rebecca Lurie, the head of school, and Eytan Shamash, the board of trustees’ president, confirmed that the young child tested positive for an STI in October.
It typically takes anywhere from a few days to several weeks for STI symptoms to appear, depending on the type.
“This information was immediately reported to the police and child safety authorities, who opened investigations. Given the child’s age and the STI involved, abuse was determined to be very likely,” they wrote in the email obtained by the outlet.
The child’s age was not specified. Students in pre-kindergarten through third grade attend the lower school.
Diana Pisciotta, a spokesperson for the school, told the outlet that the teacher was placed on leave the same day the family of the student with the STI “shared additional information, including a report of inappropriate touching by a teacher.”
“This information was also reported to police and child safety authorities, and their investigations are ongoing. Thus far, the investigations have not resulted in a finding that abuse took place at the school,” Pisciotta said.
The school additionally hired the Aleta Law firm to conduct an external investigation.
“We recognize how painful and unsettling this situation has been for many in our community and we remain committed to learning from this moment and continuing to strengthen our practices,” the school’s statement said.
The Department of Children and Families and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office are both investigating the allegations.
The school said in a statement Wednesday that it is cooperating with investigators, who it noted “have not reached any specific conclusions regarding how the infection occurred and who may have been responsible.”
The teacher involved has not been criminally charged, according to the district attorney’s office.
The Solomon Schechter Day School boasts that it is the largest Jewish day school in the greater Boston area.
In late January, an ousted teacher at another Solomon Schechter school in Connecticut pleaded guilty to risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace for aggressively tickling his female students around their waists, according to CT Insider.
The elementary teacher was arrested four times for his “sneak attacks” against students before he was placed on leave, the outlet reported.
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