Even worse, 22 of them sent letters to the court supporting him.
ia EAG News:
Teachers play an incredibly important role in children’s lives.
Perhaps their most fundamental responsibility is to make sure the kids entrusted to them are safe when they are in school, five days per week, six or seven hours per day.
That’s why law enforcement officials in Rochester, New York are so baffled and upset by the lack of cooperation they received from several teachers and school administrators who had worked with Matthew LoMaglio, an elementary gym teacher who was convicted last month of sexually molesting an 8-year-old male student during the 2006-07 school year.
Many in the community were also surprised and disappointed that more than 20 educators wrote to the court in the pre-sentencing phase, expressing support for LoMagio but little or no sympathy for the young victim.
“Some of the people (on the school staff) who were cooperative told us there was talk at school, sort of like ‘Are you for the teacher or for the student,’” Kyle Rossi, the assistant district attorney who tried the case against LoMaglio, told EAGnews. “It was very disappointing to make contact with teachers who wouldn’t give us the time of day until they were instructed to.
“I would say that, being in that position, they have a special duty to recognize issues and protect kids. I would think it has more do to with ignorance than anything else.”
LoMaglio, 37, was found guilty in November of second degree sexual conduct against a child and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Last week he was sentenced to four years in prison by New York State Supreme Court Justice Joanne Winslow. […]
Rossi said he was also troubled by the 22 letters the court received from various teachers, expressing support for LoMaglio. He said he is not authorized to turn over the letters to the public or divulge the names of the teachers who wrote them.