WASHINGTON — An employee at a D.C. public school has been arrested and charged after a parent told WUSA9 that teacher showed his son pornographic materials while at school.
Parents of children attending Capitol Hill Montessori in Northeast say they want better communication, especially since this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
Back in 2019, a former employee of this same school, 21-year-old Jestin Hickman, was arrested and charged with second-degree child sex abuse. According to police, he engaged in sexual contact with a 13-year-old student.
Parents say they should have been notified immediately once school officials alerted police of inappropriate behavior from a temporary employee.
“Over the years I have seen time and time again that DCPS thinks that not sharing information is better than sharing information. Not sharing information and not communicating only breeds anxiety, fear, anger, frustration,” said parent Danica Petroshius.
Jhervian Green, 33, is being charged with distributing an obscene picture. According to DC Police, Green approached two victims while at school and showed them a video depicting an obscene act. The incident happened Jan. 9, but administration didn’t find out until Feb. 6. That’s when the principal alerted police.
Green was arrested March 2, but parents weren’t notified about the incident until they received an email March 4, almost a month after police started their investigation.
"He had been a substitute as far back as September of this school year. I thought, 'Oh my gosh. Deja vu all over again,' we are hearing late and lacking information," said Petroshius.
The email states the employee was immediately banned from the building and removed from the temporary staffing pool.
"He occasionally helped with basketball, so my son did occasionally interact with this person, and so I had a conversation with him about that," Petroshius said.
WUSA9 reached out to DCPS for comment. Spokesperson Enrique Gutierrez sent the following statement:
“DC Public Schools is committed to the safety and well-being of every student. While we cannot comment on personnel matters, DCPS takes seriously any allegations regarding student safety. Per our protocols, the incident has been referred to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and DCPS internal departments for further investigation."
Following the 2019 incident, Petroshius told WUSA9 a safety task force was implemented, and she wants to see that happen again. Parents stress they want to be notified as soon as the school knows about an incident and they want transparency moving forward. DCPS says they followed all proper protocols.