A teacher at the John F. Kennedy Jr. School in Elmhurst was arrested Friday afternoon by officers from the 110th Precinct and charged for several crimes that are “sexual in nature,” according to the NYPD.
Leudis Espinal, 23, was on duty at the school as a paraprofessional, when he was busted for asking a female student for her phone number and then reaching her on FaceTime, police said. Espinal allegedly masturbated while he was on FaceTime with the student and then asked her to send him a “sexy photo” of her, according to the NYPD.
Espinal was charged with disseminating indecent material to minors, acting in a manner injurious to a child, obscenity and harassment, police said.
Paraprofessionals provide instructional, behavioral, and other support to students in and outside of the classroom. Espinal was immediately suspended by the city Department of Education.
“Our schools must be safe havens for all students and this staff member is being immediately suspended without pay and removed from working in our schools following this deeply disturbing allegation,” Department of Education spokeswoman Katie O’Hanlon said.
