Cops: Former Bethel Teacher Had Inappropriate Contact With 3 Minors

By FEROZE DHANOA (Patch Staff) and PAULA ANTOLINI (Star Patcher)

A Berry School teacher under investigation for inappropriate contact with minors was arrested on Monday.

Brian Stroh, 30, of New Fairfield turned himself in to Troop “A” in Southbury after an arrest warrant was issued. Stroh was arrested, processed and transported to a holding facility.

Stroh was charged with three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor.

According to State Police, Stroh allegedly had inappropriate contact with three children aged 6, 9 and 11.

Stroh was given a $250,000 bond and will be arraigned today in Danbury Superior Court.

The Bethel Public Schools website lists Stroh as a first grade teacher at Berry School.

Stroh was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 19 after school officials learned that he was under investigation by the Department of Children and Families and the police. Stroh resigned the same day.

In a letter to parents, staff members and guardians, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christine Carver wrote, “While current information indicates that Mr. Stroh’s alleged activities took place away from school, these allegations are deeply troubling.”

Carver added that the district will continue to cooperate with DCF and law enforcement officials.

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A series of questions and answers was also sent by the superintendent to address common questions that parents may have.

Q: What are the Bethel Public Schools policies in place to prevent those with criminal records from gaining employment?

A: Connecticut law requires that any person who is hired by a local or regional board of education submit to a state and national criminal history record check. The process includes the checking of fingerprints by the State Police Bureau of Identification and the FBI. The results of the criminal background history check (both state and federal) are reported to the district. Connecticut law also requires all applicants to submit to a records check against the DCF registry, containing information about prior substantiations for child abuse or neglect. In addition, school district personnel cross-reference the Connecticut Department of Public Safety’s sexual offender registry prior to hiring any new employee.

Q: What procedures are in place to ensure employees remain compliant with policies (in essence, are there post-employment background checks; criminal record monitoring; drug testing, etc.—the same matters that are reviewed prior to hiring)?

A: There are no applicable state or federal laws requiring continuing periodic criminal records checks, however state agencies are legally required to notify the District if certified staff members are convicted of certain crimes.

The State’s Attorney must notify the District if a certified staff member is convicted of a crime involving child abuse or neglect. DCF must also notify the District if an allegation of abuse or neglect against a certified staff member is substantiated.

Typically, if police become aware of an issue they may notify the District while an investigation is underway.
Certified staff members are also monitored by the CT State Department of

Education when they apply for recertification. At the time of re-certification, DCF reports on whether individuals have any open reports of child abuse and neglect. If one is discovered, the District is notified. Generally, if that happens, the employee is placed on administrative leave during the period of the investigation.

Q: How and when did BPS learn that Mr. Stroh was under investigation?

A: BPS learned on February 19, 2015 that Mr. Stroh was under investigation by DCF and the State Police for inappropriate conduct with minors. He was immediately placed on administrative leave. Mr. Stroh resigned from BPS.

Q: Were there any indications (prior to learning of this investigation) of inappropriate behavior by Mr. Stroh? What should families do in the event that there is a concern about inappropriate activity?

A: If there are any families that have any specific concerns now, please contact Dr. Carver’s Office who will gather the information and then coordinate with the families to investigate further. We will continue to share any information that is learned with DCF and law enforcement.

Q: What does a notice to the CT DCF entail?

A: The State of Connecticut requires anyone engaged in a profession that involves regular contact with children, to report to DCF any suspected child abuse, neglect, or any instances in which a child has been placed in imminent danger. The state requires that this report be made no later than 12 hours of becoming aware of a possible incident. In addition, BPS policy requires all employees to report suspected child abuse and neglect in accordance with Board Policy, even if they those employees are not “mandated reporters” under state law (Policy 5141.4). Once DCF has been notified, an evaluation is made to determine if the case warrants an investigation. That determination can be made within a matter of hours in extreme cases, but all investigations must be completed within 45 days.

If DCF concludes that there is reasonable cause to believe a school employee has harmed a child, or put a child at risk, the employing superintendent is immediately notified. The superintendent must immediately suspend the employee, and notify the Board of Education.

Q: What actions should parents take if they believe their children may have been mistreated?

A: Parents should not hesitate to contact their student’s building principal. The building principal will treat a parent’s concerns seriously and thoroughly. I wish to emphasize that if a parent has any issue or suspicion that something is not right, it’s always better to pick up the phone and share your concerns, than to find out later that your suspicions were correct.

Q: Which authorities have been involved in the current situation?

A: Dr. Carver was initially informed of the investigation relating to Mr. Stroh by DCF on February 19. DCF conducted a joint investigation with the State Police. The State Police have taken over the criminal investigation, although DCF is still closely involved.

Q: How long was Mr. Stroh employed with BPS?

A: Mr. Stroh began as a teacher in the Bethel Public Schools in 2011. He was an intern and substitute teacher in the Bethel Public Schools beginning in 2009.

Q: This employee was here for several years, what is being done to make sure he didn’t harm children in the Bethel Public Schools?

A: At no time during Mr. Stroh’s tenure in Bethel did we have reason to suspect that he was engaged in any illegal or inappropriate behavior. He had no disciplinary actions in his personnel file, and no reports from staff members claiming to have witnessed inappropriate behavior.
At this point, we have no evidence that any inappropriate conduct occurred at Berry.

If any parents come forward to provide any information about the possibility that he behaved inappropriately with their children that information will be referred to the proper authorities. If there is any information that inappropriate conduct occurred at Bethel Public Schools, the District will also investigate, although we wish to emphasize that we have no evidence at this time that any inappropriate conduct occurred on school grounds.
We encourage anyone who believes they may have information about improper behavior to contact Dr. Carver.

We understand that parents and families have many concerns, given these deeply troubling allegations. We will attempt to address the concerns of every family as best we can, while maintaining our obligation to cooperate and not interfere with the ongoing investigations of DCF and the State Police.

Q: What steps are the Board and Administration going to take that are designed to promote children’s safety and prevent individuals from engaging in inappropriate behavior with children?

A: We are confident that adequate policies and procedures are in place to check applicants’ backgrounds prior to employment and to respond to any reasonable suspicion or belief of child abuse or neglect. We are now in the process of ensuring that all staff members are reminded of these requirements.

In addition, we will be undertaking a review of all relevant policies and procedures to determine if any revisions are necessary.

While Mr. Stroh’s alleged activities took place away from school, and we ultimately cannot control what an individual does during their non- working hours, we will immediately act to investigate and follow up on any allegation that a school staff member is engaged in any inappropriate conduct with children.

Q: Why are DCF and the state police conducting two investigations into these allegations?

A: Investigations conducted by the DCF and law enforcement serve different purposes and have different potential consequences.

After DCF investigates a report of child abuse or neglect, it determines whether there is reasonable cause to believe a child has been abused or neglected and, if so, whether the person responsible should be recommended for placement on the DCF child abuse and neglect registry. In certain circumstances, including when the person responsible for such abuse or neglect is arrested or when the abuse involves sexual abuse, DCF can immediately enter a person on the child abuse and neglect registry before the suspected perpetrator exhausts his/her administrative appeals. Furthermore, when DCF has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected by a school employee and recommends placement on the child abuse and neglect registry, the superintendent must notify the Department of Education, which may initiate certification revocation proceedings.

If DCF has reasonable cause to believe that sexual abuse has occurred, it must notify law enforcement and the state’s attorney’s office. In this case, law enforcement was already involved. The role of law enforcement is to conduct investigations into whether any crimes occurred. Law enforcement must have probable cause to arrest an individual and, if charged, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed. This standard of proof is higher than the “reasonable cause” standard used by DCF in their investigations.