EAST IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — The East Irondequoit Central School District said a former English as a New Language (ENL) teacher has been arrested and charged following a month-long criminal investigation.
David Burchell is charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to a police report , the victim reported that Burchell had been “acting very strange around her,” and was following her around the school. The victim also said Burchell would wait for her sometimes outside the bathroom at school.
On Jan. 23, the victim went to school administration to advise them Burchell filled in her test answers during a test he was proctoring.
The report says the victim stated she left the answers blank because she didn’t know the answers, and that’s when Burchell filled them in on his own.
Burchell was put on paid administrative leave on Jan. 23 while administration did an investigation. According to the report, Burchell called the victim 12 times after his suspension and also started texting her.
On Jan. 29, Burchell called the victim 18 times, the report says. The report also says Burchell kept telling the victim to lie about him filling in her test answers and to delete the call history between them and any of their other conversations.
In a statement, the district said Irondequoit Police were notified to start a criminal investigation. The district said Burchell won’t be returning.
Read the full statement from the district:
“District administration was informed that the Irondequoit Police Department arrested former East Irondequoit English as a New Language (ENL) teacher David Burchell on charges of Aggravated Harassment and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
The district became aware of this matter in late January when a concern was brought to school administrators. Upon a brief investigation, the district notified the Irondequoit Police Department to initiate a criminal investigation. Mr. Burchell was placed on leave immediately after the concern was reported and will not be returning.
Due to the nature of an active criminal investigation, the East Irondequoit Central School District was legally prohibited from sharing information publicly prior to Mr. Burchell’s arrest, as doing so could have compromised law enforcement’s investigation.
The safety, well‑being, and trust of our students and families are our highest priorities.
Because this is an active legal matter, the district is unable to provide further details at this time and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement.”
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