Disturbing new claims have surfaced regarding a New York City public school teacher accused of silencing and abusing a third-grade student decades ago, a week after a jury awarded the victim $18 million. The victim's attorney described how the deceased teacher allegedly held the child's mouth shut while sexually assaulting him for approximately 30 minutes in an auditorium filled with classmates.
"He's never come out of the auditorium," the victim's attorney, Jeff Herman, told The Post. "It took away a future for him — he always wanted to be ordinary and he struggled."
The victim, identified in court documents as A.P., received the substantial jury verdict under New York's 2019 Child Victims Act, marking the first time a case under this act has reached a jury verdict. The abuse occurred in the early 1970s when the victim was a third-grader at P.S. 15 in Red Hook. Music teacher John Clark allegedly fondled multiple young boys during class, with A.P. being forced to sit on Clark's lap during two separate incidents of assault.
During one assault, Clark allegedly violated the 10-year-old for 30 minutes. When the child attempted to cry out, Clark reportedly covered his mouth, effectively suffocating him while continuing the assault, according to Herman.
Court records indicate that parents boycotted the school nearly five decades ago due to the administration's alleged cover-up of Clark's actions. Herman's firm uncovered documentation detailing a school boycott in December 1970 following allegations. According to a March 1971 New York Times article, the then-principal, Edwin Gardner, transferred the victim out of music class but kept Clark at the school under supervision.
Notes from a subsequent school board meeting revealed parental outrage, with one attendee stating the school had only "slapped the teacher on the hand." Clark was arrested, but the superintendent reportedly refused to suspend Gardner, which led to a one-day boycott described as "90 percent effective."
A Daily News article from the following month reported that a set of parents sued the city for $2 million, and Principal Gardner died of a heart attack shortly thereafter. Herman stated that the mother who first reported the abuse, now 89, agreed to testify, citing her distress over the principal's broken promise and ongoing abuse of other children.
Clark reportedly pleaded to a lesser charge and received five years of probation. The city is now responsible for the $18 million verdict, as the jury found officials acted with "recklessness" in their handling of the case, failing to protect the students despite prior complaints and a parental boycott.
"They felt the principal turned a blind eye to the safety of these kids to the point where the parents had a boycott of the school," Herman said of the jury's findings. "Even though these cases are older, they're still entitled to justice."
A city spokesperson indicated that the administration is reviewing the verdict.
