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Parents say daughters were molested by substitute teacher

The parents claimed the girls were allegedly molested by a substitute teacher. The two girls reported they were molested during school hours in their classroom at Jessup Elementary in Pasadena ISD.

PASADENA, Texas – Two families broke down in tears during a press conference on Wednesday, claiming their two little daughters were molested by a substitute teacher at their school.

The parents say the girls were molested by a substitute teacher. The two girls reported they were molested during school hours in their classroom at Jessup Elementary in Pasadena ISD.

The girls said the substitute teacher made the boys in the classroom turn around and called the girls one by one to touch them under their clothes. The teacher is accused of molesting up to 15 girls.

"This is about the safety of children," said attorney Darian Conston. "These families deserve to have their questions answered."

The district fired the man and is not naming him at this time. A criminal investigation is open and underway, but no one has been arrested at this time.

"I just don't understand why he's out there," said Samuel Uribe, one of the victim's father. "There are too many girls, too many girls"

The families say the district failed to protect their little girls.

“It just hurts the most when your daughter dreams about this person every night," said Maurlen Sandoval. "She can't sleep much. She feels like he's around, in the restroom, so she's just afraid. Our family just wants justice, that's all."

Attorneys say they also have evidence that the substitute teacher at one point was a registered sex offender in another state. That is still under investigation.

"We're trusting the district to take care of them for us, but they have a sex offender looking after her," said Ashley Deaton.

The district issued a statement:

“On October 5, 2018, Pasadena ISD received allegations that a substitute teacher at Jessup Elementary School had touched students in an inappropriate manner. Pasadena ISD takes all allegations of this nature very seriously. Accordingly, the Administration at Jessup Elementary took immediate action to remove the individual from their campus, notify District Administration, Harris County Protective Services (“CPS”) and the Pasadena ISD Police Department of the allegations, and began contacting parents of the reporting students.

“The accused individual is no longer employed by Pasadena ISD. To date, the District has taken all available courses of action to ensure the safety of its students. In addition to the reports made to CPS and the police, the District has also provided notice of the allegations involved in this case to the State Board for Educator Certification.

“It is important for students, parents, and our community to know that all PISD employees, including substitutes, are required to submit to criminal background checks prior to being hired by the District. This background check includes fingerprinting checks utilizing Texas DPS's and the FBI's databases. To the District’s knowledge, the individual involved in this case does not have a criminal history.

“The Pasadena ISD Police Department’s investigation is still active and ongoing. At this time, the Police Department will not release or confirm the identity of the accused in an effort to preserve the integrity of its investigation. The District continues to cooperate with CPS’s and the Pasadena ISD Police Department’s investigations. Presently, several students have been referred to Harris County for forensic interviews as part of the Pasadena ISD Police Department’s investigation. This is a common step in the investigative process when allegations involve minor victims. In investigations involving multiple, minor victims, similar to this case, it is important that all leads are followed, and all evidence is obtained and preserved so the case can be presented to the District Attorney’s office to determine if charges will be filed. If the District Attorney’s office files charges in a case, the suspect would then be arrested and their identity made public.

“The District is confident in the PISD Police Department’s ability to perform a thorough investigation and we know that our police will work to ensure that any wrongdoing is prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law. We ask that you continue to remain patient while our police diligently work this case.”

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