Hand High School in the Spotlight Over Sex Assault Probe

By Brian McCready, Patch Editor

When Daniel Hand High School students reported to school on Thursday, there were news cameras everywhere and reporters were trying to interview students.

The media was quickly chased off the school grounds. But why the sudden interest in the Madison Public School system?

The district has routinely been praised as one of the Top 10 school systems in the state and has been nationally recognized for its strong academic programs.

The interest and scrutiny stems from an alleged inappropriate relationship between a Hand student and a Madison school staff member. The student reported the relationship on Wednesday, according to Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice.

Scarice said as soon as he learned of the alleged misconduct against a staff member, he removed that person from the classroom and the staff member was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the Police Department’s investigation.

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Scarice said in addition to the police, he notified the state Department of Children and Families of the reported allegations of misconduct.

He confirmed that police are taking the lead in the investigation and school officials are cooperating with that investigation. Scarice said no timetable has been given for the conclusion of the investigation.

Scarice said school and police officials are not confirming at this time the accused’s gender or occupation in the district.

On Wednesday, school and police officials released a joint statement stating they have initiated an investigation into allegations of a sexual assault against a juvenile student in the Madison Public School system by a member of the school staff.

Scarice declined to elaborate on the specific allegations, but he did say the student reported “misconduct” on the part of a staff member. Police have categorized their investigation as a sexual assault probe.

Scarice said he is trying to ensure things return to ‘normal’ as soon as possible for the Hand school community.

“We want to protect our students and children and protect them from any intrusions from the outside,” Scarice said. “We are very sensitive to the fact that the accused and the victim are people with families. We want to maintain their privacy. Unfortunately, these stories get sensationalized.”

“The students and staff want a sense of normalcy and to move forward,” Scarice said.

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