LI Teacher Gets Probation After Sex With Minor Student: DA

BABYLON, NY — A former Babylon High School teacher who pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child —while previous charges against him, including rape, were dropped — was sentenced Monday to three years' probation, his attorney, as well as Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, confirmed.

Kevin Keating, Harrison's attorney, said in addition to the three years' probation, Timothy Harrison, a former special education teacher and sports coach, had earlier surrendered his teaching license; he also has to meet other standard probation conditions.

Those conditions included but were not limited to housing restrictions, computer and electronic monitoring, and a mandate to not contact the victim, the DA said.

Keating declined further comment on the sentencing.

Harrison was arrested March 3, 2022, and was initially charged with two counts of third-degree rape and a count of third-degree criminal sexual act, after a woman claimed she had a sexual relationship with him when she was a high school student in 2013, officials said. He was 38 at the time, officials said.

When he later pleaded guilty in court in Riverhead to endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, the other charges were dismissed, Shannon Wilson, deputy director of communications for Tierney's office, confirmed.

A jury trial had been previously scheduled to begin on Sept. 27.

Between September and November 2013, Harrison sent the victim, who was 15 years old at the time, flirtatious text messages, gave her alcohol, and had sexual intercourse and oral sexual conduct with her at his residence in Oak Beach, according to an investigation and the defendant’s plea allocution, Tierney said.

The victim came forward in 2021 and reported the sexual abuse to staff at Babylon High School and then to members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victim Section, Tierney said. Harrison was arrested on March 3, 2022, Tierney said.

The plea was heard by Judge Karen M. Wilutis in Riverhead.

"This defendant violated his trust as an educator, and sexually abused a child whom he was entrusted to care for," Tierney said. "This sentence will ensure that our children are safe, because Timothy Harrison will no longer be in a school classroom in New York State ever again, and it will protect the privacy rights of the victim, who will be spared from having to testify publicly in court."

The guilty plea came almost two years after dozens of alumni publicly came forward, accusing multiple district teachers of sexual and emotional abuse and accusing the district of doing nothing.

After the sentencing Monday, Brittany Rohl, Babylon High School Class of 2011, who said she was groomed and both sexually and emotionally abused by a former teacher, spoke with Patch.

Rohl was the first out of dozens of alumni to come forward with her accusations — taking to the podium at a Babylon School District Board of Education meeting to cry out for justice. Those accusations by other former students inspired one alumnus to come forward, claiming she was raped by teacher Harrison while she was a student; he was later arrested and charged, according to the DA.

"We are not broken, the perpetrators are"

"This case has helped to spark a larger conversation in which students and parents from many districts have started to reconcile their own experiences," Rohl told Patch. "Although sentences such as these may sometimes feel disproportionate to perpetrators’ actions, survivors’ persistence to attain any modicum of accountability sends a clear message that we are not broken, the perpetrators are. The justice system is. I am in awe of this survivor’s persistence, and I acknowledge the enormous cost at which it must have come. During the 10 years I suffered in silence, I found glimmers of hope in cases like these. Your impact is greater than you may ever know, and I pray you can find peace."

The outrage was ignited after a male teacher was escorted out of the classroom by law enforcement in October 2021 and was relieved of his responsibilities for “disturbing allegations” made about him. The teacher later resigned.

Attorney General Letitia James also launched an investigation into the district.

Tommi-Grace Melito Alvaro, Class of 2005, told Patch that as an identified abuse survivor, the guilty plea was long awaited.

"Nearly two years after all of these stories breaking open, we finally have an admission of what we all knew to be true,"said Alvaro. "At the end of the day, this is a historic moment for our communities and such a critical moment of healing and accountability for Babylon. I share my solidarity and support to the brave woman who first came forward, and to all survivors, both seen and unseen, known and unknown."

Babylon Superintendent Carisa Manza and Board of Education President Linda Jurs told Patch in a statement that they are committed to ensure students' safety:

"Consistent with our previous statement to the Babylon Community, this administration is making every effort to ensure the safety of our students and earn back the trust of the community. We have pursued all avenues available to us to attain justice for alleged victims of abuse in our schools, including notifying law enforcement in this particular case," they wrote.

The statement also said they denounced Harrison's admitted actions.

"Due to laws governing the confidentiality of staff and staff records and information, the Babylon School District cannot comment in detail on individual Babylon employees," the statement continued. However, we unequivocally condemn the crimes that the accused Babylon employee has pleaded guilty to. As reported by the Suffolk County District Attorney, a central component of this resolution requires the employee 'to surrender his teaching license', ensuring that he will not return to a classroom again. The District remains steadfast to its mission to provide a high-quality education to our students in a safe, nurturing and engaging environment."

Of Harrison, Rohl added: "Anyone who attended Babylon High School in the early 2010s can likely attest to both his magnetism as a coach and the widespread rumors. So widespread were these rumors in our small community, that I know in my heart, without a shadow of a doubt, that other employees and administrators knew. In my opinion, those people put children in danger, too. If they have a conscience, it should haunt them every day for the rest of their lives — but neither that, nor three years of probation, will ever come close to the living hell that survivors deal with."