A teacher at Daniel Hand High School in Madison has been placed on administrative leave while police investigate allegations that the employee sexually assaulted a student-athlete, according to the first selectman.
Police said the student is under the age of 18 and that the school system has “taken all appropriate measure to safeguard the safety of the students.”
The superintendent has assured full cooperation with any criminal investigation. The state Department of Children and Families is also involved in the investigation, according to the police department.
"The school people acted responsibly and the detectives got on it immediately," said Madison First Selectman Fillmore McPherson. "So I'm sure they will find out in due course whether to bring something forward."
Neither the teacher nor the student have been publicly identified. The teacher has been placed on leave while authorities investigate the allegations.
"In the interim, we want to make sure that we can establish a sense of normalcy in the school as soon as possible," explained Madison school superintendent Thomas Scarice. "So the principal very carefully met with the students that were impacted in any of their classrooms and had a very honest conversation with them, and let them know the plan going forward."
Parents also received a letter informing them of the situation.
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"Allegations at this level are traumatic for any individual or any family, and that's been the sentiment that I've been getting from folks, is we really want to respect the people involved and their privacy," Scarice said.
At the same time, both school leaders and town officials are working to make the process as transparent as possible to let the community know they're taking the allegations seriously.
"I think it's important that people are aware that something did happen," McPherson said.
