Bergen Co. Middle School Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A middle school teacher in Garfield was arrested on sexual assault charges Friday after — according to prosecutors — she had sex with a student on school grounds, in a vehicle, and in other locations in northern New Jersey.

Amy Dovidio, 46, of Pompton Plains, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated criminal sexual contact, and criminal sexual contact, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said that on Saturday, Feb. 10, the Garfield Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the report of a teacher engaging in sexual conduct with a student at Garfield Middle School.

An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department revealed that Dovidio, "while previously employed by the Garfield School District as a teacher, had engaged in sexual conduct with a student who was between the ages of 13 and 17," according to a relaese.

They added, "The sexual conduct occurred within the Garfield Middle School, at a private residence in Cedar Grove, NJ, as well as within a vehicle at unknown locations in Bergen, Essex, and Passaic counties."

Dovidio was arrested in Paramus following an investigation, prosecutors said.

She was taken to the Bergen County Jail to await her first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.

Prosecutor Mark Musella thanked the Garfield Police Department and the Pequannock Township Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.