A New Jersey teacher accused of taping a 9-year-old elementary school student's neck to a desk for nearly an hour has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation.
Todd Lewis, 57, has been charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, police in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey confirmed Thursday. His aide, Sallyann Scala, 67, faces a fourth-degree charge of abuse and neglect for her alleged failure to intervene.
Lewis allegedly used masking tape to secure a young male student's neck to his desk for approximately 40 to 50 minutes at Lenox Elementary School in October.
It's unclear if other students were in the classroom, but Scala was present and failed to step in, said authorities.
"We want to assure our parents, students, staff and school community that we are working very closely with law enforcement to guarantee the safety and security of our students," Pompton Lakes School District Superintendent Paul Amoroso said in a statement Thursday, according to NJ.com.
"The employees were placed on leave when this matter was brought to the attention of the school administration and measures have been taken so that the individuals will not have any access to the school premises," he said.
That same day, Lewis appeared in court, but was released on monitoring pending trial with special conditions that he's prohibited from contacting minors, including the victim.
He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Scala was served with her complaint Wednesday and faces up to 18 months behind bars.
