Rumors swirl in teacher sex case

John Howell
Posted 3/26/15

The Gorton Junior High School science teacher facing charges of first- and second-degree sexual assault involving a teenage relative was reprimanded by the school administration for inappropriate …

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Rumors swirl in teacher sex case

Posted

The Gorton Junior High School science teacher facing charges of first- and second-degree sexual assault involving a teenage relative was reprimanded by the school administration for inappropriate behavior in an unrelated incident about a year ago, according to two separate sources.

Meanwhile, through a statement, Warwick Public Schools Superintendent Richard D’Agostino provided assurances that “there were no prior incidents with this teacher that caused us to conclude that he was unsafe to teach our students.”

The Office of the Attorney General disclosed Monday that the Washington County Grand Jury reported on a secret, sealed indictment on March 20 charging Mario Atoyan, 49, with one count each of first-degree sexual assault and second-degree sexual assault. It is alleged that on or about June 19, 2014, Atoyan sexually assaulted a 15-year-old female relative.

D’Agostino said Tuesday that he was informed of the charges Monday and that he immediately checked with the school to determine if Atoyan was there. He said Atoyan had reported sick and was not at the school. Later in the day, a Connect-Ed call was made to the parents of students informing them of the charge and that support services would be available for students and teachers should they need them.

The indictment was unsealed Monday when Atoyan appeared in Washington County Superior Court for arraignment. Bail was set at $10,000 personal recognizance, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim.

When that story broke, Mayor Scott Avedisian said he started hearing rumors about the teacher in connection with another situation and he called D’Agostino. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Avedisian expressed his frustration in not being able to get to the bottom of the story.

He is not alone in hearing rumors.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Camille Vella-Wilkinson thought it important to give the School Committee “the room to investigate” the rumors.

“If the allegation is true, there are some members [of the School Committee] that think drastic measures have to be taken,” she said.

School Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Ahearn said she has received “a firestorm of calls and emails” about Atoyan. She said a special meeting of the committee is slated for Monday and that for the moment she has no further comment.

The two sources told the Beacon that while at Gorton, Atoyan allegedly drew an inappropriate picture on the arm of a female student. The situation came to the attention of school officials, the sources said, who in turn reportedly brought it to the attention of the girl’s mother. The sources said the mother chose not to press charges and that Atoyan was reportedly reprimanded.

D’Agostino yesterday would neither confirm nor deny the account provided by the two sources, saying it is “a personnel matter” on which he cannot comment. He likened the situation to allegations regarding a Department of Public Works employee that were reported by the news media a couple of years ago and noted that the mayor refrained from commenting on that individual’s personnel records at the time.

In a release issued yesterday, D’Agostino said that on Monday he and the mayor received an email communication from Chief of Police Col. Stephen McCartney notifying them that “one of the teachers at Gorton Junior High School was about to be arrested on serious criminal charges.”

“We have no knowledge of the details of the pending criminal charges at this time other than that which has been reported by the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General. Law enforcement representatives have informed us that no further information will be released as this matter is an open investigation,” the superintendent’s release reads.

D’Agostino goes on to say in the release, “Over recent days, I have heard rumors, speculation and innuendo that this school district had prior knowledge of ‘similar incidents’ involving this teacher. The reporting of such misinformation is irresponsible and untrue.”

D’Agostino said contractual restrictions prevent him from discussing the details of personnel matters, adding, “I can assure you that there were no prior incidents with this teacher that caused us to conclude that he was unsafe to teach our students. Student safety is of paramount importance to us and is something that I have devoted 30-plus years of my career in Warwick preserving and protecting. I assure the families and students in this community that your children are safe in our schools.”

Given the rumors and what he knows, D’Agostino was asked Wednesday if he had changed his opinion of Atoyan. He said no and that he is in agreement with comments made to the media by students and Atoyan’s peers that he was a well-liked and respected teacher.

Atoyan is currently on leave with pay.

D’Agostino said he lacks the legal authority to stop paying Atoyan, and that is an action only the Warwick School Committee can take. The committee has scheduled a special meeting for Monday. The practice has been to discuss personnel matters in executive session.

It is the practice of Warwick Public Schools to seek permission from the School Committee to suspend employees without pay while criminal charges are pending, D’Agostino said.

Comments

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  • Scal1024

    Doesn't change your opinion of him??? Pack your bags, get your yacht ready Mr. D'Agostino...its time to go.

    Thursday, March 26, 2015 Report this

  • maiemi

    Excuse me Dr. Richard D'Agostino, but was the Dept. of Public Works employee responsible for the care of children? How can Dr. Richard D'Agostino hide behind such a comparison? Something smells here. Time for Dr. Richard D'Agostino to go and as quickly as possible. If Adminstrators knew of any past allegations, why was this individual allowed to remain in a position where he continued to have access to children? Warwick residents have a right to know the truth. In the absence of the truth, we will be left to form our own conclusions.

    Thursday, March 26, 2015 Report this

  • falina

    WHY are these offenders always granted bail? NO BAIL! No brainer. Keep them locked up where they belong!

    Thursday, March 26, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    Not taking any sides here in this issue, but the quickest way to get a teacher under suspicion is to accuse them of sex crimes. The scarlet letter police will jump on the band wagon and want to run them out of town on a rail without due process.

    If the teacher is guilty, then toss them in jail without a key,

    Friday, March 27, 2015 Report this

  • JusthaFacts

    Is Superintendent D’Agostino purposely trying to embarrass the School Committee, endanger students, waste taxpayer money, and pick a fight with the Mayor all at the same time? It is reported that this teacher has a documented reprimand for making an obscene drawing on a child’s hand, when arrested he called school and said he was sick, and he hadn’t tried to come back to work. So D’Ag quickly puts him on leave with pay. I get it that a criminal charge is not proof of guilt and that the School Committee must decide to put an employee on leave without pay. However I doubt that an employee can be AWOL and continue to be paid. Also after lying about sick leave, then not showing up for work, plus the past reprimand should be enough for a quick Committee decision on leave without pay and then a quick hearing on dismissal – if they get the administrative support they need from the Acting Superintendent instead of his petulant evasion.

    Friday, March 27, 2015 Report this

  • danfire

    Richard D'Agostino ,Dennis Mullen and Rosemarie Healy should be joining the long list of Disgraced Warwick Public school administrators. They will try to blame others for the handling of this case. We all know the chain of command. Parent contacts Mullen he investigates and contacts the lawyer Healy. Healy then figures out the legal side and they go back to D'Agostiino for approval and put the teacher back in the classroom. I hope the School Committee clears house and starts all over with new people who can protect our children from the wrong doers.I blame the school committee for hiring D'agostino as a temporary Superintendent for 3 years. 2 and half to many. D,agostino,Mullen and Healy should join the disgraced of past years Peter Horoschak, Henry Tarlian, Elliot Lafeber and others by firing them or not renewing the contract.

    Sunday, March 29, 2015 Report this

  • Rickdoza

    We all know that Richard D'Agostino is a liar and should be fired, but lets not forget about Dennis Mullen and that lawyer Healy. In the parents letter to WJAR channel 10 Mullen said that the teacher was disciplined. LIAR. I'm sure that Healey advised Mullen and D'Agostino to lie. That's all that these people do is lie. Fire all three and you'll probably start seeing better test results too!

    Sunday, March 29, 2015 Report this

  • emark1

    I read the Projo and watched channel 10 news On the first day, Dr. D'Agostino stated emphatically that there were no prior incidents with this teacher, he is completely safe to be in the classroom. The next day he puts out a letter where he states this even more strongly. This is followed that night with an email/letter to Dr. D'Agostino from last November that states that Atoyan drew a penis and wrote the word penis on a female student's arm. You can clearly see that the email went to D'Agostino, and also that it includes Mr. Mullen. They knew last November, didn't do anything to punish or remove the teacher, and then LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH when the arrest happened. This superintendent and the people around him have no integrity whatsoever. They need to be removed from their positions. The number one job of teachers and administrators is not education- it is to protect the safety of the children in their care. They KNEW there was a problem, and they covered it up. I learned something even worse from a relative of mine who has a student at Gorton. There is a 3 day trip to Washington D.C from Gorton this spring, and Mr. Atoyan had been selected as one of the chaperones. This means that the principal of the school had to approve him to go. Are you kidding me?! This is how you safeguard children? I feel for the poor person running the trip who was going to be assigned a sex predator as one of his chaperones. Assigned, of course, by people that knew that he was sexually inappropriate with children.

    A grown man draws a penis on a 13 year old girl's arm with a permanent marker, and then prints "penis" next to it just in case the drawing wasn't good enough. I have never heard of anything like that before. No one thinks that is normal or OK. Everyone gets that it is creepy and disgusting.

    FIRE SUPERINTENDENT D'AGOSTINO, AND ANYONE ELSE THAT HANDLED THIS INFORMATION AND COVERED IT UP!!!!!!

    Read the front page article in Sunday's ProJo (3/29). The story was about a group of great students, teachers and administrators at Warwick Vets. The Vets area is not Barrington- these kids come from working class backgrounds and with the help of their parents, teachers, and administrators at the school have worked their butts off and excelled. This is what is really happening in Warwick schools. Having that tarnished by a few scummy central administrators who fail to protect students is horrible. Get them out, and bring in people that really care about students and education.

    Monday, March 30, 2015 Report this

  • JohnStark

    When I read "Rumors Swirl in Teacher Sex Case", my first reaction was: You'll have to be a little more specific. Was it the teacher facing first and second degree sexual assault charges? The teacher who drew genitalia on a girl's arm? Oops, sorry, same guy. The teacher arrested on child porn and indecent solicitation charges? Or the teacher who was simply dating one of his students a couple of years ago? All the while, the interim superintendent believes he deserves the job permanently. It could, I suppose, get more bizarre in the Warwick public schools. But I'm not sure how.

    Monday, March 30, 2015 Report this

  • sadforspeced

    Emark you are entirely correct. I only wish that the SC review D'Agostino's email history - it's easy to do - and find that if he does read some emails he seldom responds. I wonder if he even read that particular email. He just doesn't care and provides NO leadership - and things are certainly not Safe!

    Monday, March 30, 2015 Report this

  • georgecarver

    How is it The Attorney Generals office knows about the prior incident and the school's administration doesn't? A potential predator in the midst of children and nobody knows jack. Where the hell is the leadership?

    What's important? What's the flow of communications? How can we have accountability and protection with what maybe a "look the other way" system. Should the allegations towards these two educators be true, I do indeed hope their disgusting acts and lack of responsibility do not over shadow the great work by so many of Warwick's caring and dedicated educators.

    Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Report this