Jun 25, 2008 7:20 pm US/Eastern
NYC School In Hot Water Over Sex Assault Charges
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
BROOKLYN (CBS) ―
A school aide at a junior high school in Brooklyn was fired on Wednesday, after investigators found he'd sexually touched several students.
School officials are in hot water over how they reacted when students went to them for help.
Jonathan Williams had been a school aide at Junior High School 126 in Williamsburg since 2006. The Special Commissioner of Investigation released a disturbing report on Williams' inappropriate behavior toward at least ten students.
The investigation found he inappropriately touched girls as young as 11-years-old.
"He'd start by playing tag with the girls. Then he'd say we're going to change the game. He'd put the lights out either in the auditorium or sometimes in a closet in the cheerleading room and he'd put the lights out and start chasing the girls and start to grope them," said Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard Condon.
Danny Burgos says he knows 2 of the girls, and was surprised at Williams' behavior.
"He's like a cool guy. We never knew that he was like that, touching girls," said Burgos.
The investigation also found that the dean, principal, assistant principal and a teacher never reported the allegations. It was a guidance counselor who finally went to investigators.
Parents expressed complete disbelief over the allegations.
"He cares deeply about the school. He always did. He always had an open door policy," said PTA president Doreen Sudano.
Special Commissioner Condon wants parents to know:
"You can't assume that school officials are always going to do what they should do. I mean in the vast majority of cases they do but right now we have over 120 cases of sexual misconduct that we're investigating now."
The principal and school officials involved would not comment, and the Department of Education is now considering disciplinary action against them. The DA's office will also look into possible criminal charges against Williams.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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