NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – A local school teacher has been arrested for improper sexual conduct with students. Investigators say the teacher has admitted to sending pornographic images to several students at Sophie B. Wright Charter School.
WGNO News Reporter Darian Trotter has the latest on the case and the reaction from parents.
Students at Sophie B. Wright Charter School are getting a lesson on choices and consequences. It comes after one of their teachers was handcuffed and arrested at school.
“It’s real bad, I’m saying, teachers are supposed to be teachers; not supposed to be abusers,” neighbor Kyle Glover said.
Police say 32-year old Damon Williams was booked Tuesday on charges he sent pornographic images to cell phones of several students.
One parent outside the school was so disturbed she asked that her identity be concealed.
“Very alarming. Eight hours out of the day you let your children go to school and you’re thinking they’re safe and to find out that someone your children trusts and they betray that trust and so something like that it’s really upsetting,” she said.
School leaders called police after a mother reported the pornographic images sent to her son’s phone.
Investigators later determined a total of four male students had received images from Williams.
The ages of the boys at the Junior High and High School have not been disclosed.
“I hope that they’re able to get help because I’m more than sure it messed them up in the head behind them having a teacher to do that to them,” Glover said.
School policy prohibits teachers to engage with students in any type of social media.
In a letter to parents Charter Director Sharon L. Clark said, “I want to assure you that while the proper authorities are conducting a thorough investigation of the allegations, you can be confident that teaching and learning, our core business, will continue daily.”
Court records show Damon Williams was arrested in 2008 on similar allegations, but prosecutors refused the charge.
“The school needs to do a better screening process because something like that is not supposed to slip through the cracks,” Glover said.
It’s unclear if school leaders were aware of the previous case since it was not prosecuted.
“I’m just hoping they can resolve it and if this guy is guilty that he’s convicted for what he did to that student.”
Williams has been released from duties of teaching keyboarding at the school.
His bond was set Tuesday at $150,000. A hearing in the case was scheduled for January 12th.