The School Committee appears to be heading down the proper path in hiring Vincent Ragosta to investigate troubling concerns over the handling of an incident that occurred in 2013 concerning a Gorton science teacher and two female students.

We say “appears,” since the retention of Mr. Ragosta at a cost of $285 an hour is on the agenda of a special committee meeting to be held tonight at 6 at the school administration building.

According to sources, the teacher, Mario Atoyan, drew a penis on the arm or hand of one student and feces on the arm or hand of the other.

That incident would have probably never come to light had Atoyan not been charged with first- and second-degree sexual assault involving a 15-year-old relative female last June. This case is unrelated to what took place at Gorton. However, Superintendent Richard D’Agostino, when asked about Atoyan, was quoted as saying he knew of no prior incidents involving the teacher. The mother of one of the girls in the Gorton incident questioned the assertion, contacting Channels 10 and 12. And the Beacon received calls from two sources close to the school administration saying that the matter had been brought to D’Agostino’s attention.

Those events, if true, rightfully trouble a number of people.

Yesterday, Councilwomen Donna Travis, Camille Vella-Wilkinson and Kathleen Usler and School Committee member Karen Bachus called for a vote of no confidence in D’Agostino, Director of Secondary Education Dennis Mullen and school counsel Rosemary Healey.

There are several questions here: Why did D’Agostino say there hadn’t been prior incidents involving Atoyan if he knew otherwise? What action was taken, if any, against Atoyan in 2013? Why, if the allegations about Atoyan’s drawings are true, did school administrators not take the incident more seriously?

Hopefully, Ragosta can answer these questions and more.

But while council members and Bachus are justifiably concerned and outraged, we find their call for a City Council vote of no confidence in D’Agostino and other administrators premature. Let’s see what comes out of the investigation.

Similarly, given the developments of the last week, we agree with Mayor Scott Avedisian that it only is logical that the School Committee postpone indefinitely the selection of a superintendent until the investigation is completed.

We urge the committee to proceed with hiring attorney Ragosta.