Former Central Ohio Teacher Accused of Sexual Misconduct

10TV
October 1, 2015

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2015/09/30/former-delaware-county-teacher-accused-of-sexual-misconduct.html

A former central Ohio teacher sits in a Seattle Jail accused of sexual conduct with a student here.

Brian Sze, 34, was a music teacher at Bishop Watterson High School.

Investigators said that’s where he came in contact with a 15-year-old male student.

A search warrant obtained by 10TV says Sze was also hired by the boy’s parents to give him private music lessons at Sze’s Lewis Center home.

That’s where the boy says Sze initiated sexual contact with him.

After their first sexual encounter, the boy says Sze told him “not to tell anyone because he could go to jail.”

The boy estimated they’d had sexual contact 10 times over a one-year period.

Sze had recently moved to Seattle for a teaching job. He was arrested there Tuesday night.

The Diocese of Columbus confirms it fired Sze last year after a different student complained of an inappropriate text message from Sze.

The diocese said it did report Sze to the Ohio Department of Education and was not asked for a reference by his new employer in Seattle.

Sze's employer in Seattle, Lakewood School, said he has been fired and will not be returning to the school or school-owned property.

Lakeside also said they did conduct a full and thorough background check on Sze and received multiple positive references from his previous place of employment, Bishop Watterson.

You can view their letter by clicking here.

Diocese of Columbus Statement on Brian Sze:

On June 15, 2015, Brian Sze, an instructor at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, was terminated by the Office of Catholic Schools for unprofessional conduct, which, as per policy, was subsequently reported to the Ohio Department of Education. The Office has been recently contacted by law enforcement regarding an investigation unrelated to his Mr. Sze’s termination, and is cooperating fully with that investigation. Additionally, the administration of Bishop Watterson and the Office of Catholic Schools has indicated that no employment reference request or inquiry was received regarding Mr. Sze subsequent to his termination.

The Office of Catholic Schools and the Diocese of Columbus are committed to providing a safe and secure environment to all persons within our schools; programs and guidelines have been established to offer assistance and protection to anyone who feels endangered or threatened within our school system. Teachers, administrators, parishioners, and parents are instructed to immediately notify their local law enforcement agency if made aware of any form of child abuse, either within or beyond the school environment. If you are aware of any questionable behavior by Mr. Sze during or following his tenure with our schools, please contact local law enforcement and Regina Quinn, diocesan safe environment director, at rquinn@colsdioc.org