Lakeland teacher resigned after sex abuse allegations, then got hired in Monroe-Woodbury

Walter Panas High School teacher Alex Mendoza moved quickly in the spring after the lawyer for a former student told Lakeland school officials that she would sue the district, alleging that Mendoza had sexually abused the girl from 2015 to 2017.

Most of the alleged abuse took place on school grounds, including in Mendoza's classroom, a teacher's office and the school parking lot, according to a complaint filed in July.

The lawyer contacted Lakeland in late April. The school district pulled Mendoza from the classroom in May. By June 8, he’d resigned from his $118,000-a-year tenured job.

But Mendoza, undeterred by New York laws designed to prevent accused child molesters from moving to a new school district, was hired less than a month later by the Monroe-Woodbury school district in Orange County.

That followed a supportive send-off on June 9 from Lakeland’s Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Joe Mosey, according to documents obtained through the state Freedom of Information Law.

“The Lakeland School District extends best wishes for your future endeavors,” wrote Mosey.

On June 15, Mendoza was hired to teach special education students during summer school at the Greenburgh-North Castle special act district, which is located in Dobbs Ferry.

Mendoza was then hired in Monroe-Woodbury on July 5 for the fall, just five days before the civil lawsuit by “Jane Doe” against Mendoza and the Lakeland Central schools was filed in state Supreme Court in White Plains.

By early September, Mendoza was back in the classroom with special education students at Monroe-Woodbury, in a district where his wife, Crystal, is an administrative aide at the high school.

More: Lakeland board cut Trustee Rosen's repayment for illegal pay from $9,140 to $3,750

He worked there for several weeks until Tax Watch alerted Monroe-Woodbury Superintendent Elsie Rodriguez on Oct. 2 about Jane Doe’s allegations.

A day later, Mendoza was removed from the classroom. His resignation was accepted by the Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education on Oct. 11.

“Monroe-Woodbury Central School District hired Mr. Mendoza prior to the lawsuit,” said Rodriguez in an email. “When the district was made aware of the lawsuit, Mr. Mendoza was immediately removed from his position, after which he submitted his resignation.”

Attorney David Shaw, whose law firm, Shaw, Perelson, May & Lambert, provides legal services to both the Lakeland and Greenburgh-North Castle districts, said his firm does not necessarily review personnel actions for the 40 school districts the firm represents in the Hudson Valley.

"You are presupposing that we know what’s on an agenda at another district at a particular time," he said.

Districts mum about Mendoza's move

The details of how Mendoza was hired so quickly remain murky since officials in Lakeland and Monroe-Woodbury have been unwilling to respond to key questions.

Lakeland Superintendent Karen Gagliardi did not initially respond to emails and messages asking whether Lakeland officials gave Mendoza a recommendation for his new endeavor.

And Monroe-Woodbury Superintendent Rodriguez won’t say if her staff checked with Lakeland about Mendoza’s decision to give up his tenured position at Walter Panas to take a probationary position at lower pay across the river.

Mendoza’s short stint in Monroe-Woodbury came as the Westchester County District Attorney’s office investigates allegations about Mendoza at Walter Panas High School.

Gagliardi, in a statement released Thursday, said the district reported the allegations to law enforcement authorities and the state Department of Education's Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability.

"The district took swift and appropriate action as soon as we became aware of actionable allegations," said Gagliardi. "After receiving the letter from the attorney for the former student, the District took all appropriate actions promptly and in accordance with law."

Mendoza denies allegations

Mendoza's attorney, Louis Gasparini, denied the allegations of sexual abuse against his client. In an email, Gasparini said his client has devoted his professional life to teaching and looks forward to returning to the classroom. He noted that Mendoza has taught for 13 years in public schools, obtaining tenure in two districts.

"The allegations raised in the civil lawsuit have been categorically denied, and Alex has made the decision to set the record straight by clearing his name," wrote Gasparini. "He has never been previously accused of any inappropriate allegations, and when these claims were first made, Alex fully cooperated with any and all investigations."

Attorneys for both Mendoza and the Lakeland district have sought to dismiss the case, saying the former student’s lawsuit was filed after the statute of limitations expired. They argued that the student was two years late making the claims under the state's Child Victims Act.

The student's attorney, however, amended the complaint in early October to also file it under the state's Adult Survivors Act, which could cover injuries she suffered after she turned 18 during her senior year and when the alleged sexual abuse continued. The window for adult survivors of sexual assault to file claims under the Adult Survivors Act closes on November 24.

Law requires notifying state of allegations

Under state education law, school district officials are required to notify law enforcement authorities and the state Department of Education after they become aware of child abuse allegations against staff members. Teachers hold state certifications, and the state may then launch its own inquiry.

As of Thursday, six months after the allegation became known in Albany, the state Education Department website stated Mendoza had active certifications in English Language arts, grades 7 to 12, and special education, grades 7 to 12.

Timothy Hathaway, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse New York, an advocacy group, said history shows it's been common for individuals accused of child abuse who work with children to be passed onto new schools, or in the case of the Roman Catholic Church, to new parishes.

More: Thousands of sexual abuse cases likely to be filed under Child Victim's Act

He said the secrecy around sexual abuse, and the slow march of civil litigation, add to the problem.

"It has happened pretty regularly in the faith community, and schools are particularly prone to it occurring there," he said. "Often times, there may be a complaint or allegation that's not yet proven, so the school may be forced by HR regulations to remain mute."

Hathaway said that an educator accused of misconduct should not be able to start anew elsewhere.

"There's almost a breach of trust there," he said. "You feel that there are people who knew, and should have told the new district."

Lawsuit: Abuse started in girl's junior year

According to the complaint, the alleged sexual abuse began during the girl’s junior year in 2015, when she was 16, and ended when she graduated in 2017, after she had turned 18. The lawsuit alleges that the school district failed to take steps to prevent abuse.

Mendoza was not the former student's teacher during her junior year, and was an assistant teacher in her math class during her senior year.

The complaint states that Mendoza in September 2015 would smile and flirt with "Jane Doe" in the hallway. Then he invited her into his classroom to offer private tutoring in math. By mid-fall 2015, according to the complaint, she would meet with him at least three times a week, both in his classroom and in a nearby teacher’s office. The meetings took place during and after school hours.

The complaint states that Mendoza pressured the student to kiss him and when she finally did, he would regularly kiss her and touch her inappropriately. Within weeks, it says, he coerced her into performing oral sex.

By the spring of 2016, according to the complaint, they were having sexual intercourse.

“Ms. Doe did not consent to Mr. Mendoza’s sexual abuse and was physically and psychologically forced to engage in sexual conduct,” the complaint states.

Mendoza engaged in sexual relations with the girl several times a week and almost daily during some months, either in Mendoza's classroom or a teacher's office, the complaint states. It also states that Panas faculty would observe Mendoza taking Jane Doe into the office or classroom, and then re-emerge after a long period of time.

School personnel were aware of Mendoza’s inappropriate conduct, the complaint states. It states that then-Walter Panas Principal Keith Yi contacted Doe’s mother, concerned that her daughter was spending too much time with Mendoza. Yi also asked the student about her relationship with Mendoza, but she had been pressured by Mendoza to keep their relationship secret and did not disclose the abuse, the complaint says.

Mendoza and the student later met at the student’s car in the school parking lot and parking lots off campus to engage in sex, the complaint states.

They’d also communicate on the Snapchat social media platform, with Mendoza sending inappropriate messages that includes pictures of his genitalia, it said.

According to the complaint, the alleged abuse took its toll on the teen, who lapsed into a deep depression following her graduation in 2017 and attempted suicide.

The lawsuit stated that she continues to suffer from Mendoza’s sexual, psychological and emotional abuse.

"These cases are gut-wrenching for families with children in the schools, and the kids in high school who might have known about it," said Hathaway. "And it causes great heartache and pain for the family and the child."

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David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability. Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Resigned Orange County teacher was accused of sex abuse in Westchester