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Rochester city school teacher has been removed from the classroom over a series of incidents alleged to have occurred more than five years ago.
Prosecutors say Matthew Lomaglio had repeated sexual contact with a student inside a school and during school hours when the two were along together. The alleged victim is a boy under age 11.
They would not identify the school but the Rochester City School District confirms Lomaglio taught gym at School 19 during 2006- 2007 when it’s alleged the abuse occurred.
“It’s alleged he engaged in a continuing course of sexual contact with the child,” says Assistant District Attorney Kyle Rossi. “Contact is defined by the touching of intimate parts.”
Lomaglio has maintained his innocence. He was not charged until December after a grand jury looked at the evidence and determined there was enough to warrant prosecution.
The charges come five years after the alleged crimes.
“There’s a lot of reasons why children don’t want to disclose this. Shame, secrecy, they feel hopeless, they want to forget it” says Rossi.
He would not talk specifically about this case but did go on to say “Usually when there is a disclosure it’s by accident, they confide in someone they trust and it somehow gets to an adult who reports it.”
Matthew Lomaglio is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and course of sexual conduct which covers the multiple sexual encounters alleged to have occurred.
“It’s one charge that deals with multiple criminal acts and it’s really done to aid a child who can’t differentiate between all the times they’ve been abused,” says ADA Rossi.
Lomaglio was removed from the classroom in May- when Rochester Police first launched their investigation. He has not had contact with students since but remains on the job.
