5 New child molestation charges filed against Cohasset teacher

Nov. 27--COHASSET -- A Cohasset Middle School teacher accused of molesting a student will face new charges after police say he assaulted a second student.

Jeffrey E. Knight, 57, of Pembroke, is scheduled be arraigned in Quincy District Court Wednesday on five new charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. Knight had been scheduled back in court Wednesday for a pre-trial conference.

Knight is already facing two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child over 14. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in a Sept. 20 arraignment and was released on a promise to return to court.

Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said that the second victim and her mother came forward after reading a news article about Knight. Quigley said that the new charges were based on interviews and information gathered in a months-long investigation by his police department in partnership with the Norfolk County District Attorney's office.

Kinght was put on administrative leave over the summer and has since resigned, according to Cohasset Public Schools Superintendent Louise Demas.

Police said that the original student told investigators that Knight had routinely touched her in a sexual manner during class, both last year when she was a 13-year-old seventh-grader and this year while she was in eighth grade and had turned 14. The girl reported the assaults to the Cohasset Middle School's administration in February of this year but the school did not report it to police until May, according to a police report filed in court.

Once the school resource officer knew about the allegations, police began an investigation into the alleged abuse and notified the Department of Children and Families and the Norfolk County Advocate for Children. The group is a combination of public and private partners that seek to help children who face abuse.

The administration of Cohasset's public schools has faced sharp criticism over their handling of the assault allegations. In a September meeting parents grilled Demas over why the middle school's administration waited for months before telling police about the allegations. Parents at the meeting said they were appalled about the level of communication from the school about the alleged assaults and some even called for Demas to resign.

Cohasset Middle-High School Principal Carolyn Connolly was put on administrative leave in September over her handling of the information.

School teachers and educational administrators must by law report any allegations of abuse against children to the state Department of Children and Families within 48 hours of learning about them. They are considered "mandated reporters."

In a statement Wednesday, Demas said that the school had added counselors to be available to students if they had questions or concerns. She said she has cooperated with police and the Norfolk District Attorney's office throughout the investigation.

"I am shocked and profoundly disturbed by the allegations against Knight," Demas said. "I have held a public forum with the community and have committed myself and all Cohasset Public Schools administrators to being responsive to all faculty, staff, student and family concerns regarding this matter. The school district also recently convened a family-faculty Safe Schools Committee. We are at the beginning of a long process that will not be completed until all parties have all the relevant answers."

Demas said that the allegations from the second student happened a "few years ago" and that Cohasset Public Schools was finalizing a Title IX investigation into the allegations against Knight. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex which includes sexual assault.

Demas said in September that an outside firm, Ryan Strategies, was hired to examine the allegations and how the school handled the matter. All administrators and faculty in the school department were given an additional in-depth mandated reporter training on Oct. 12.

Quigley said that the investigation is ongoing and still open and it includes the school's delay in reporting the allegations to police.

Knight had worked at the school as a science, technology, engineering and mathematics teacher since August 2011.

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