Fall River school staff member on leave after allegations of misconduct involving student

Fall River Police are investigating allegations that have been made against a school staff member concerning a student.

According to parents at the school, Fall River Superintendent of Schools Maria Pontes issued a letter to parents at Matthew Kuss Middle School on Friday.

“I am writing to inform you that this afternoon we received a report of an allegation of misconduct between a staff member and a student. At this stage, please keep in mind that this is an allegation and no determination as to whether or not this occurred has been reached. Nonetheless, given the serious nature of the allegation, I wanted to ensure that I communicated this information to the Kuss school community directly and as promptly as possible.

“In accordance with established polices and protocols, the response to these allegations and the sequence of actions for that response are as follows:

“The staff member has been placed on Administrative Leave pending an investigation; The Fall River Police Department has been notified; Upon learning of the allegation, we immediately began an investigation and took steps to ensure both the physical and emotional well-being of the student while the investigation is pending. We will continue to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the allegation in coordination with the Fall River Police Department; The school has filed a 51A (suspected child abuse or neglect) with the Department of Children and Families (DCF); and the parents of the student have been notified of the allegation.

“The purpose of this letter is to ensure that you learned of this incident directly from me and to inform you directly of the Fall River Public Schools’ prompt response to any concern that may impact the safety of our students. I want to express my gratitude to the individuals who brought this to our attention, school staff, and the Fall River Police Department, who are responding to this matter promptly and professionally to ensure the protection of the health and safety of all of our students. At this time, this matter is under investigation, and I have shared all of the information that state and federal laws regarding student and employee privacy permit me to share. School staff and I, in conjunction with the Fall River Police Department, will continue to promptly and proactively address this and any allegation that would compromise the safety and well-being of our students.”

The news comes days after a parent of a student at Kuss stated on social media that her child had been injured and hospitalized by another student that had been bullying the child.