Brooklyn, New York - P.S. 059 Paraprofessional Kevin Lemon Accused of Sexually Abusing Girl on Campus

NYC Department of Education Employee Charged with Sexually Abusing a Student

Last Update: 7/13/2020

A substitute paraprofessional for the New York City Department of Education has been charged with sexually abusing a student at P.S. 059 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. 28-year-old Kevin Lemon was arrested on Friday, September 27 on charges of a criminal sex act, sex abuse, sexual misconduct, forcible touching, and acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17.

Lemon is employed as a substitute paraprofessional with the DOE. He is accused of sexually abusing the victim on multiple occasions on the school grounds of P.S. 059.

The Department of Education released a statement following Lemon’s arrest, calling the allegations “deeply disturbing” and announcing that Lemon would be suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

According to the criminal complaint, Lemon is accused of sexually abusing the victim three separate times on school property during school hours.

Bail has been set at $50,000 and Lemon is scheduled to appear in court on October 3.

Legal Options for School Sex Abuse Victims & Their Families

Attorney contributor Laurence Banville of Banville Law represents victims of sexual abuse in civil lawsuits against abusers and negligent third parties who have failed to protect victims from sexual predators. Laurence has offered to share some thoughts on the legal rights of school sex abuse victims and their families:

The safety of students must be a top priority for all schools, both public and private. This means that it’s important to have preventative measures in place which will protect students from sexual predators. Sadly, predators often seek out employment in education and other fields where they will be working with children and in positions of trust.

School sex abuse victims and their families have legal rights in both criminal and civil courts. Reporting sexual abuse by an employee to law enforcement is a critical first step, as the employee must be investigated and removed from the school before he or she can continue victimizing students. In some cases, these victims and their families also may have grounds for a lawsuit against the school district for negligence.

For example, a school district might be considered negligent if there had been previous complaints of sexual misconduct involving the accused employee, but the school failed to properly respond to or investigate those complaints.

If you or your child is a survivor of sexual abuse by a school employee, you can learn more about your family’s legal options by speaking with an experienced sex abuse victims lawyer in a free consultation.

Sources:

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/09/28/new-york-department-of-education-employee-sexual-abuse/

https://brooklyn.news12.com/story/41113638/police-2-city-employees-arrested-for-forcible-touching-in-separate-incidents