Judge Grants Accelerated Rehab To Stamford HS Admins Charged With Failing To Report Sexual Abuse
STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) - A Stamford judge has granted accelerated rehabilitation to two high school administrators charged with failing to report sexual abuse of a student.
As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, Stamford High School Principal Donna Valentine and Assistant Principal Roth Nordin allegedly knew that English teacher Danielle Watkins was having a sexual relationship with one of her students but failed to report it to the authorities. In October, the pair pleaded not guilty.
Stamford State's Attorney David Cohen said the administrators chose to keep the matter out of the public eye when they should have put the student's safety first.
"It has to be the most important thing rather than institutional survival, so to speak," Cohen said.
When the 17-year-old student tried to break off the relationship, Watkins reportedly threatened to fail him.
Watkins, of Norwalk, turned herself in to police in July to face sexual assault and other charges.
Police say Watkins not only had a sexual relationship with the student, but supplied him and a friend with marijuana. The second victim --a 15-year-old who was also one of Watkins' students -- admitted to police he had also smoked marijuana with Watkins.
Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin told Schneidau that when police arrested Watkins at her home in July, they discovered evidence of the sexual relationship on her cellphone.
"On her phone and on the victim's phone, we found text messages and photos that were sent of her naked, that she sent to the victim," Conklin said.
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