Teacher Placed on Leave: Police Investigating Inappropriate Behavior

A Cummings Elementary School teacher was placed on administrative leave as Winthrop Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office investigate alleged inappropriate behavior with an autistic student.

“We are working with the D.A.’s office and there may or may not be criminal charges,” said Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty. “We have collected physical and forensic evidence but we want the facts to lead us to a conclusion, not speculation.”

Delehanty said police were called to the school after staff members reported alleged inappropriate behavior.

It has been already reported that the teached allegedly taped the autistic student’s eyebrows and then ripped the tape off causing the student to yell ‘ouch’.

The teacher has not been fired and Delehanty said the teacher and others in the school have all been cooperating.

“We understand that some parents are frustrated on the lack of information we have released but there is methodical work that goes into investigations,” said Delehanty. “But we want to make clear that we take any allegation of misconduct against a child very serious.”

Winthrop School Superintendent John Macero said he would not comment on the incident because it is now a police matter but did say he and the school took immediate action.

“When we were made aware of the allegations we took action,” said Macero. “We are conducting our own internal investigation but I’m pleased the administration was swift in briging the alleged incident to my attention.”