Teacher Accused of Sex Abuse Put on Leave Civil Suit Accuses Boca Raton Teacher of Molesting Boy at Sleep-Away Camp, WPBF, January 26, 2009

Teacher Accused of Sex Abuse Put on Leave
Civil Suit Accuses Boca Raton Teacher of Molesting Boy at Sleep-Away Camp

WPBF
January 26, 2009

http://www.wpbf.com/news/18566591/detail.html

[with video]

BOCA RATON, Fla. — There is one less teacher at the head of the class at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton.

Peter Evans, 38, was put on administrative leave Thursday after school leaders learned he is accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a young boy, they said.

Cory Legnetti, now 21, filed the suit against Evans in New York.

Video: Teacher Placed On Leave After Sex Abuse Allegations

In the suit, Legnetti alleges Evans abused him for three consecutive summers at a sleep-away camp in the Castkill Mountains. The suit claims the molestation began in 1998 and continued in the summers of 1999 and 2000.

Evans, a fifth-grade math teacher at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy, denied the allegations.

His attorney, Mark Sherman of Stamford, Conn., told WPBF News 25's Cathleen O'Toole, "These allegations are aboslutely false. Peter's been a counselor at the camp for 19 years and a teacher for 15 years and he's never had a problem. We intend to fight this lawsuit vigorously and file a counter-suit against the accuser for slander as soon as possible."

Legnetti is away at sea with the U.S. Coast Guard.

"He struggled a lot," his mother, Mary Legnetti, said. "He said he was very ashamed, very embarrassed. He thought maybe it did happen; maybe it didn't happen. And he knows it happened."

The Donna Klein Jewish Academy issued a statment Thursday. It read in part: "Please understand that this teacher has not been arrested, nor are we aware of any type of criminal prosecution or investigation. Moreover, we complete comprehensive national and international background checks on all individuals we employ. This teacher's criminal background investigation, conducted in November 2005, was completely clear."

Mary Legnetti said she's happy with the school's response so far.

"This is a tough call. You're innocent until proven guilty," she said. "However, he's around children. He's got a buffet of children, as I like to put it, you know, year-round, and I think the school acted appropriately, very appropriately, for the safety of their children."

Mary Legnetti said her son sat down with a New York state police investigator and reported his allegations.

Lt. Glen Miner of the state police said, "If we do have a pending case, we wouldn't be able to to discuss it."