PASADENA, Texas – A substitute teacher at a Pasadena Independent School District elementary school has been fired over allegations of inappropriately touching female students.
The Pasadena ISD Police Department is investigating the claims.
A spokesperson told Channel 2 News the allegation includes touching the girls' backs, shoulders and legs.
But one parent said her 9-year-old daughter described much more graphic violations. We are not identifying the mother in an effort to protect the identity of the child.
"(On) Thursday, he would rub her in her private parts. (On) Friday, he put his hand inside her shirt, squeezed her boobs, touched her but tried to put (his) hand inside (her) pants," the mother said.
The mother said her daughter told her the teacher made all of the students in the class line up against a wall. He then told the boys to "not look" and pulled the girls aside, one by one.
The principal sent the following letter to parents Tuesday:
"In order to keep the lines of communication open, we wanted to inform you of a situation that occurred on Friday, Oct. 5, and provide an update regarding our actions to ensure student safety.
"The safety and well-being of our students is of paramount importance at Jessup Elementary. Pasadena ISD takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously. We applaud the 4th-grade students who courageously reported to the counselor they felt uncomfortable when a substitute touched them on their backs, shoulders and legs. Our counselor notified me right away, and I began an investigation, which led to removing the substitute from the campus immediately. We then reported the incident to the Harris County Child Protective Services (CPS) and Pasadena ISD Police, and this remains an active investigation.
"On Friday evening, I called all of the parents of the students who made reports of feeling uncomfortable. I want to assure you that the substitute in question is no longer employed by Pasadena ISD.
"We will have additional counselors available this week during the school day for our students.
"Jessup Elementary and Pasadena ISD will continue to take all necessary action to protect our students and ensure their safety. We are fully cooperating with the police in the investigation. If you believe you have information regarding this investigation, please call the Pasadena ISD Police Department at 713-740-0200.
"Keeping our school safe is a team effort among students, staff and parents. We want to remind our children to report anything that seems unusual or makes them feel uncomfortable.
"Thank you for your continued support of our students."