Baton Rouge Advocate. February 19, 2009, Page 1B.
Allegations of sexual misconduct continue to hound the Louisiana School for the Deaf after a former student was arrested Friday for an alleged sexual assault last school year and a teacher was suspended earlier this month.
Several students told school officials that student Tuvia Hall, 20, sexually assaulted them between March 1 and April 30, but only one victim wanted to press charges, an arrest warrant says.
That victim, 14, told detectives that Hall cornered her in the ice room of the track and field locker room sometime in March or April, the warrant says.
Hall then began groping the victim’s chest and crotch over her clothes and tried to take off her shirt, the warrant says. When she told him to stop, Hall threatened to hurt her. He finally stopped when she threatened to report him.
The students did not report the incidents to the school until May, the warrant says.
Liz Moore, acting director of the state’s Special School District, said Hall left the deaf school before the end of last school year and did not return this year.
Hall, 1004 Gondon St., New Orleans, was booked Friday into Parish Prison on a count of indecent behavior with juveniles, booking documents show. He remained in Parish Prison in lieu of $20,000 bond Wednesday night.
Hall was the second student arrested this school year. A 16-year-old boy was booked in October on a count of aggravated rape in the September rape of a 6-year-old girl.
That incident prompted state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek to close the school in early October to implement safety reforms and overhaul the school’s culture.
Last school year, five adults — including three current or former teachers — were arrested for allegedly sending sexually explicit messages to students. Four of those people have pleaded guilty.
On Wednesday, state education officials announced that the school suspended a faculty member Feb. 6 after alleged incidents of inappropriate touching came to light during a group discussion among students.
That instructor’s supervisor was suspended Tuesday, pending further investigation on how the incidents were reported.
Department of Education spokeswoman Rene Greer declined to release the names of the two suspended employees.
A report was filed with the Baton Rouge Police Department Tuesday. Police spokesman Sgt. Don Kelly said Wednesday their investigation concluded the incident consisted of one instance of “extremely brief physical contact” and that no crime had occurred.
The alleged incident occurred several weeks ago when the instructor gave a 17-year-old female student a “single congratulatory pat on the buttocks,” Kelly said. The pat was not sexual or violent in nature.
“What level and type of physical contact between a teacher and a student is ‘appropriate’ is up to the Louisiana School for the Deaf and the Department of Education to determine, but based on what our investigation showed this was apparently a relatively minor incident that was not criminal,” Kelly said.
Pastorek said while the inappropriate behavior was unfortunate, he was reassured the incidents were revealed during a group discussion among students with a staff member present.
“One of the key components of achieving a safe campus is creating a school culture that encourages students, staff and others to report these types of incidents so that they don’t happen again,” Pastorek said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/39828967.html