WILMINGTON — As multiple state agencies investigate allegations of child abuse at Wildwood Early Education Center, an attorney representing the parents of five special-needs children told The Sun this week that complaints about the teacher in question have been disregarded by school officials for over a decade.
“For whatever reason, this teacher, whom multiple complaints have been made against over the years, has not had to face any consequences,” said Steven Bergel, a personal-injury attorney for the Law Offices of Howard M. Kahalas. “My clients are extremely intent on making sure that this story stays in the forefront and doesn’t get swept under the rug, as it has, apparently, for over 10 to 15 years.”
The abuse allegations surfaced in early May after Alex Condell wrote on Facebook that he noticed “an absolutely absurd amount of bruises” on his 3-year-old son’s legs after picking him up from Wildwood School the month prior. He also wrote that he had heard of another woman’s child allegedly being abused at the school.
In the week following his post, Wildwood Principal Charlotte King wrote in a letter to parents that “one or more staff” had been placed on leave, and officials from Wilmington Police, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the state Department of Children and Families confirmed they were investigating the matter.
Wilmington Public Schools Superintendent Glenn Brand also said in a statement that the district would conduct its own independent investigation.
“I want to assure all parents/guardians and other members of the WPS community that the safety and well-being of students is, ultimately, the District’s foremost concern and priority,” Brand wrote.
Condell told The Sun that after he made the post, “an unbelievably large” number of people reached out to him to share similar experiences, leading him and several others to enlist the services of Bergel.
“To learn that this had happened before and had been covered up was devastating,” Condell said. “We’re just trying to make sure this doesn’t disappear again.”
Among those who came forward is Roberta Biscan, who told The Sun her now-17-year old autistic son attended the Wildwood School in 2009, and that he was allegedly hurt four times by the accused teacher in just seven months.
“It wasn’t surprising to me when the news broke, but it was very upsetting,” Biscan said. “It brought back a lot of emotions from my experience, and the fact that my son and I weren’t taken seriously made me very upset.”
According to Biscan, the teacher allegedly bruised, scratched and pushed her son, but because the school administrators at the time — who she said have all since retired or died — couldn’t substantiate the claims, the teacher was never punished.
Biscan added that she was finally able to have her son transferred out of the classroom after months of protest, but that the school never made DCF aware of the accusations, which she thinks allowed the alleged abuse to continue in the years since.
“All they did were internal investigations, and every time, they came back with excuses or they couldn’t substantiate the claims, and I felt like I didn’t have a leg to stand on,” Biscan said. “They let the ball drop far too many times.”
While no charges have been filed against the teacher, Brand wrote in an email to parents Wednesday that he had received reports from DCF supporting some of the allegations and that the independent investigation the district commissioned remains ongoing.
He also wrote that the district became aware last week of a separate series of misconduct allegations by a staff member at Wilmington Middle School, and that they have also been placed on administrative leave pending a DCF investigation.
“The allegations in each of these cases are wholly unacceptable, counter to the values of WPS and will not be tolerated,” Brand wrote.
“Any student or family who comes forward with allegations of misconduct, harassment or abuse will have those allegations investigated with the thoroughness and seriousness that they deserve.”
Ultimately, Condell and Biscan both said they hope by the conclusion of the investigations the accused teacher will be fired and brought up on charges, though Biscall also wants to see some accountability from the school district.
“The biggest question here,” Bergel said, “is why. Why wasn’t there at least one person in a position of oversight to hold this teacher accountable? Because by not doing so for many years, needless amounts of abuse took place and caused significant harm to both these vulnerable kids and their loving parents.”
