Dec. 7, 2007 — A St. Croix school teacher is in jail with a $1.5 million bail on charges ranging from using his finger to vaginally penetrate an 11 year old to using sexually explicit language with minors, in incidents reportedly occurring at three St. Croix schools dating back to 2002.
Tydel B. John, 55, of Frederiksted, is charged with aggravated rape in the first degree, five counts of unlawful sexual contact, four counts of child abuse and two counts of child neglect, according to a spokesperson at the Superior Court on St. Croix.
The alleged abuses began at Good Hope School, continued at Eulalie Rivera Elementary and occurred most recently at Evelyn M. Williams Elementary, according to an affidavit dated Dec. 3 from the investigating officer, Sgt. Naomi Joseph of the V.I. Police Department.
Six girls, ranging in age from 11 to 17, were interviewed by Joseph between Nov. 29 and Dec. 3, and described sordid encounters with John.
One 11-year-old testified that when she was in his fourth-grade class at Evelyn Williams, she had returned to the class to retrieve popcorn money and he made her sit down in a chair, then put his hand in her pants and inserted his finger in her vagina.
Other interviewees described John using sexually graphic language, apparently providing details to the girls about his own sexual proclivities. Additionally, the interviews reveal claims of John touching girls on their breasts, in their vaginal regions, on their upper thighs and asking them to be his "special friend."
A 17-year-old told Joseph that she was a fourth-grade student at Good Hope when John allegedly fondled her vaginal area, prompting a police report in 2002 and John's departure from Good Hope, where he had worked since 1997.
Acting Education Commissioner Donna Frett-Gregory defended the Department of Education's hiring of John, saying the St. Croix school district did its due diligence before hiring him as a fourth-grade teacher at Eulalie Rivera.
"The DOE was not aware of any issues he had at Good Hope when he was hired by the St. Croix district," Gregory said. "We called Good Hope and we spoke to (an administrator) as well as the headmaster, and they all indicated he was an excellent teacher, based on our records."
Head of School Michael Mongeau of Good Hope said he was not at the school at the time of the incidents and knows very little about John's employment history.
"I don't know the details, and if I did I couldn't talk about it because it's a personnel matter," he said.
Education did the requisite police background check on John, Gregory said.
"We also did a police check, and it came back clean," she said. "It said he had no issues. I have that in my file, as well. Although when you do a police check, if there is an investigation going on at the time, it will not indicate anything unless you were charged — and convicted for that matter."
The police department declined comment on the status of the 2002 investigation from Good Hope, and the Attorney General's Office did not return calls. Government House also declined comment on the case.
John arrived at the Evelyn Williams school as a fourth-grade teacher two years ago and began his second year as a sixth-grade teacher in August, according to the school's principal, Carlos McGregor.
McGregor said he has subsequently learned that "they had some concerns" about possible sexually inappropriate behavior toward students while at Eulalie, but he claims he was never informed.
"(John) was given an involuntary transfer from Eulalie Rivera to Evelyn Williams," McGregor explained, "and the only reason for the transfer at the time that was made known to me was that he had problems with the physical plant at Eulalie school. Never did they tell me there were incidents of misconduct, and I am very disturbed that I am learning that right now."
The principal of Eulalie Rivera at that time, Jewel Ross Braithwaite, is no longer with Education, Gregory said. She served as a deputy superintendent and then acting superintendent in St. Croix before leaving the department, Gregory said. As for whether John's alleged improprieties while at Eulalie Rivera were known to Braithwaite, Gregory was uncertain.
"I'm not sure it was improprieties," Gregory said. "There were innuendos (Braithwaite) was concerned about."
Gregory declined to comment on what information may or may not have been transmitted between principals at Eulalie Rivera and Evelyn Williams. Asked whether she thought there had been a communication breakdown between the two schools, she replied, "I don't think so."
The charges against John stem from a Nov. 27 presentation made to students by the Women's Coalition of St. Croix, according to McGregor. The presenters were speaking to students about the difference between a "good touch" and a "bad touch," then invited any student who wished to, to speak with the social workers confidentially.
"A couple (students) spoke to them about Mr. John allegedly touching them," McGregor explained. "The representative from the Women's Coalition came to my office and they notified me that the girls had made those accusations. I immediately called (the Department of) Human Services to begin an investigation. The following day, Human Services began their investigation, and Mr. John was subsequently arrested on Dec. 3."
McGregor said he assigned a full-time "para-professional" to be present in John's classroom during the investigation to ensure the safety of the students.
On Friday, school officials met with parents of John's sixth-grade class, which has 23 students.
"I think the meeting with the parents went very well today," Gregory said. "It was well received. Like we've indicated before, our first responsibility is to ensure that we protect our children mentally, emotionally, overall."
Counselors will be standing by to work with any children who demonstrate a need, Gregory said.
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