MERIDEN, Conn. — A former Hamden teacher accused of having sex with one of her 13-year-old students faced a judge Friday.
Dominique Maynard, 27, of New Haven appeared in Meriden Superior Court Friday morning, and as Maynard left the courthouse, FOX61 caught her outside and asked her several questions but received no response back.
Maynard is facing charges of sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.
According to police, she had sex with the 13-year-old student multiple times.
In the lengthy arrest warrant, it stated Maynard would tutor the boy, and then lock her classroom door to have sex with him.
Their interaction continued outside of school where they would text and FaceTime, the arrest warrant said. Maynard would give him money and would send him pictures of her in different outfits.
The warrant added she formerly worked at Amistad Academy in New Haven where it was rumored she was also "messing around with the little kids."
A spokesperson from Achievement First released a statement on Maynard following her court appearance on Friday:
“These charges against a former employee are unrelated to her time at our schools. At Achievement First, we take matters of scholar safety seriously and we have a thorough process for addressing any issues of this sort if and when they are reported at our schools. We are saddened and disheartened by the disturbing allegations reported in the news media. The safety and well-being of students are always our top priorities and we are communicating with parents about this serious issue."
John Taylor, the executive director of Booker T. Washington Academy, told FOX61 he is upset Maynard has impacted the trust between parents and staff members.
"We see our families as families and work really hard to build trust and something like that really does impact that, so we’re working hard to ensure our families are still safe," added Taylor.
Someone at the school discovered the group text messages Maynard inappropriately sent to other students, and the 13-year-old boy eventually told his mother what he was doing.
Taylor said the moment he found out, Maynard was immediately suspended and subsequently fired within 36 hours.
"When you sign up to be a school administrator, this isn’t what you’re signing up for. We do have policies in place that forbid adults from being alone with students behind closed doors," added Taylor.
Maynard did not enter a plea Friday and is due back in court on July 15.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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