NEW HAVEN — In response to a recent report of an incident of alleged inappropriate teacher conduct which occurred on May 20 at Roberto Clemente School, New Haven Superintendent Garth Harries released the following statement:
“Student safety and overall well-being remain a top priority for this district. From the first report of this incident on May 20th, District staff took all the appropriate measures to ensure the school remained a safe space for both teachers and students. We immediately initiated an internal investigation and have cooperated with the various ongoing external investigations. I am confident that the swift actions taken by the Principal and District staff in reporting and investigating the incident led to the continued safety and stable climate of the school.
“To be clear, this District does not condone any actions of aggression or violence exhibited by students or teachers. Additionally, we expect all school educators and leaders to exhibit a reasonable amount of self-restraint while deescalating incidents of behavioral aggression. In response to the severity of the incident and allegation, the teacher involved was immediately placed on administrative and will remain in that status pending the findings of the investigation.
“During this time we will continue to do everything we can to reach an appropriate resolution for all impacted parties and we look forward to working with the family on a future school placement.”
The teacher was officially placed on administrative leave on May 23.
The New Haven Register reported about the incident earlier in the week, but the school district has not named the teacher.