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Queens Art Teacher Charged With Sexually Abusing 6 Kids
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 24, 2012
Modified Feb 24, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 24, 2012
Modified Feb 24, 2012
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For the fifth time in the last month, a city school worker has been charged with sexually molesting children in school. Brett Picou, a 30-year-old art teacher at Public School 52 in Queens, has been accused of sexually abusing six 9- and 10-year-old girls at the school. Picou is awaiting arraignment on seven felony counts of sexual abuse, one felony count of repeated sexual abuse of a child and seven misdemeanor counts of forcible touching. One of the alleged 9-year-old victims described his behavior to NBC: "He was touching my ears like this, and tickling me in my neck. He's always saying, 'Oh, do you miss me? 'Cause if you didn't miss me, you would have hugged me.'"
According to Kevin Ryan, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, Picou has been accused of touching the buttocks of at least six students through their clothes over the last four months. On some occasions, Picou allegedly hugged the girls, then moved his hands down their backs to their buttocks. On others, he grabbed their buttocks as they walked up the stairs, and in one instance, he slapped a girl’s buttocks.
The DOE said Picou has been suspended without pay since the allegation was made on Feb. 15. Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott commented on the charges to reporters, saying the department is cooperating with police: "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Any individual who has a substantiated case of improper relationship with our children, touching our children—sexual contact or corporal punishment—I don't want them in our school system," he said.
Earlier this week, Bronx Career and College Prep High School substitute teacher Chukwuma Duru has been charged with forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. Wilbert Cortez was arrested last week and charged with allegedly fondling two young male students at PS 174 in Rego Park. PS 23 teacher's assistant Taleek Brooks is facing child porn charges for allegedly filming students, and PS 87 teacher's assistant Gregory Atkins has been accused of molesting a young boy in school.
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art teacher
brett picou
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queens
sexual abuse
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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