New Jersey teacher taped 9-year-old boy to desk for nearly an hour, police say
A teacher in New Jersey was arrested on allegations that he taped a nine-year-old student to his desk for close to an hour, while a teacher's aide was accused of failing to intervene.
Lenox Elementary School teacher Todd Lewis placed masking tape around the back of the boy's neck and secured it to the student's desk for roughly 40 to 50 minutes one day in October while Sallyann Scala was in the classroom but failed to intervene, the victim said, according to the Pompton Lakes Police Department.
Lewis, 57, was charged with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and Scala, 67, was charged with fourth-degree abuse and neglect of children.
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Police said Lewis appeared for judicial processing proceedings on Thursday after he was served a warrant the day before. He was released pending trial on monitoring, with special release conditions that he not have contact with any children.
Scala was served with a summons complaint on Wednesday.
If convicted, Lewis could face five to 10 years in prison, while Scala could face up to 18 months.
The school district's superintendent said Lewis and Scala were placed on leave and are prohibited from campus.
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"We want to assure our parents, students, staff and school community that we are working very closely with law enforcement to guarantee the safety and security of our students," Superintendent Paul Amoroso said in a statement to nj.com.