Former Hamden Substitute Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student: Police

HAMDEN, CT — A former Hamden substitute teacher is accused of sexually assaulting students in the school district, according to police.

Jack Gill, 24, of New Haven, was arrested March 27 and charged with three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, two counts of illegal sexual contact with a victim under the age of 16, and one count of risk of injury to a child, according to police. He was released after posting a $5,000 bond with a court date of April 8, according to state judicial records.

The arrest stems from an investigation that was launched in January, according to a letter from Hamden Superintendent of Schools Gary Highsmith that was sent to families on Wednesday.

Gill last served as a substitute in Hamden Public Schools on Jan. 15.

Highsmith said Gill was employed through a temporary agency, Kelly Services, and served as a building substitute at Shepherd Glen Elementary School from September 2025 to December 2025, Hamden High School on Sept. 12, 2025, and Sept. 16, 2025, and Bear Path Elementary School on Sept. 25, 2025, Jan. 13, 2026, and Jan. 15, 2026.

Gill provided support as a substitute either as a classroom teacher or during specials (art, music, and physical education), according to the letter.

A student at Shepherd Glen reported to staff on Jan. 21 that Gill had “touched them inappropriately during class when he had been a substitute in December 2025, and school officials initiated an investigation,” Highsmith wrote in the letter.

Highsmith said Shepherd Glen staff reported the allegation “to the appropriate authorities and to Kelly Services.”

“We have been cooperating fully with the investigation and supporting our students,” Highsmith wrote. “The investigation has been ongoing since January and we have been unable to share this information with you until now.”

Highsmith said the district wasn’t aware of any prior complaints of misconduct involving Gill before the Jan. 21 complaint made by the Hamden student.

“We understand that Mr. Gill passed all background checks required by Kelly Services and has no record of prior investigations of this kind,” Highsmith wrote. “Within a day of our report, we learned that another district made a report of similar conduct concerning Mr. Gill while he was serving as a substitute in that school district.

“Please know that the safety and security of our students is our highest priority. All of our staff receive regular mandated reporter training. We coordinate closely with Hamden Police Department and our school resource officers. Staff are trained to immediately report concerns of this nature and we want to assure you that we will respond swiftly and responsibly. Because this involved a temporary employee and substitute teacher, we are reviewing our substitute teacher usage and making sure that we are doing everything we can to keep our children safe.”

Hamden Police Detective Hailey Zarzuela said the investigation is ongoing.

"The Hamden Police Department emphasizes that the safety of the community is its top priority," Zarzuela wrote in a news release.

The Branford Police Department and Branford school district announced in a joint statement Thursday that a substitute teacher who worked at Murphy Elementary School for a day in January is being investigated on accusations of "inappropriate conduct."

The substitute teacher, who wasn’t identified in the letter, was employed by Kelly Services.

The district noted it has been "working in close partnership with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation."

"We understand that a similar report and arrest have happened in another district," the joint letter from schools Superintendent Christopher J. Tranberg and Branford Police Department Chief Jonathan R. Mulhern reads.

WTNH reports Gill categorically denies “touching any student deliberately with my hands,” according to a statement he provided Kelly Education Services after learning of the allegations in Branford.

Read more at WTNH News 8 here.

See also: Branford Substitute Teacher Accused Of ‘Inappropriate Conduct’: Officials