Shrewsbury Schools Hires Outside Investigator Into Employee Facing Child Pornography Charges

SHREWSBURY, MA — Less than a week after a 19-year-old man who works in the Shrewsbury Public Schools system was arrested and charged, the school district announced it would hire a public investigator to look into the time he spent at the school.

Aiden York-Wallach, who has since been placed on leave, worked as an AVA technician paraeducator at Sherwood Middle School in Shrewsbury. He was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 15, following an investigation by Lunenburg police and other agencies.

He was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of dissemination of visual material of a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday in Fitchburg District Court.

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York-Wallach also worked at the Extended School Care programs at Sherwood, Beal School, and Spring Street Schools, in the school district's Summer Enrichment and Special Education Extended Year programs, and in its Unified athletics and social club at the middle schools, according to Shrewsbury Public Schools.

Last week, the school district said that the charges were not connected to any Shrewsbury student and that York-Wallach was immediately placed on leave and has no access to SPS buildings and systems. It also stated that all criminal background checks were conducted prior to his hiring and that he had no criminal record.

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Shrewsbury School Committee, Superintendent Joseph Sawyer announced that the district hired an outside attorney to investigate York-Wallach’s time working for the school district.

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“The district has engaged a third-party investigator to conduct a thorough review of Mr. York-Wallach’s employment with the Shrewsbury Public Schools,” said Superintendent Sawyer at the meeting.

Superintendent Sawyer said that Attorney Jeff Sankey was tasked with the review. He has decades of experience in special education and employment law, and now specializes in conducting independent investigations for schools and municipalities, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“We undertake this review first with deep concern about the allegations made against Mr. York-Wallach, second with the understanding from the police that the charges made are not connected to Shrewsbury students, and at the same time with recognition that the nature of the charges are extremely worrisome to all of us, especially the parents of students with disabilities with whom this employee worked," said Superintendent Sawyer.

The Shrewsbury Police Department confirmed that it is working closely with the district.

The investigation is ongoing. Shrewsbury police ask any parent, guardian, or individual with information or who believes their child was affected, contact the Shrewsbury Police Department at (508) 845 1212 or the Massachusetts child-at-risk hotline at (1-800) 792 - 5200.

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