Miami-Dade high school teacher charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of two girls
A teacher at Barbara Goleman Senior High School faces seven counts of criminal charges after two students said he touched them inappropriately.
According to the arrest report, police say Jose Calderon, 27, “concurred with the victims’ statements.”
Calderon was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation, two counts of offenses against a student by an authority figure, two counts of child abuse without harm and one count of misdemeanor battery. He was released Saturday after posting $41,000 bond.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools says Calderon started work in the system in 2016, left in 2017 and returned this August on “a probationary basis.”
Chess Club and Math Extra Credit
A 15-year-old student told her counselor that, in September, Calderon “placed his hand on (her) legs and left his hand there for several moments.” She said he did the same thing on Oct. 27 during a chess club meeting, but then grabbed her hand, and “tried to slide it downward, making contact with her buttocks over her clothes, caressing her.”
A 16-year-old student said twice on Oct. 29, while she was in Calderon’s classroom for math extra credit, he “approached her from the rear and introduced his right hand under her sweater by the neck area and softly rubbed on her back.”
The arrest report says video from the school media center backs up the 15-year-old’s allegations.
A statement from Miami-Dade County Public Schools says the system “does not take lightly claims of impropriety involving employees. As soon as allegations were reported in this case, M-DCPS reassigned the probationary employee to a non-school site location and worked with Miami-Dade Schools Police to launch an investigation.
“As a result of the arrest, the individual’s employment with the District has been terminated and he will be prevented from seeking future work with M-DCPS. The District will continue to train our workforce to emphasize the ethical and professional behavior that is expected of them.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 3:36 PM.
