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A former teacher at the York County School of Technology will spend a year in prison after he was convicted in July of groping two students at the school in 2016. 44-year-old Kevin Nagle was sentenced in York County Court on Monday, October 1 to one year minus two days to two years minus two days in York County Prison, plus three years of probation upon his release. He also much register with state police as a sex offender for 15 years under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law.
Presiding Common Pleas Judge Maria Musti Cook make the ruling and ordered Nagle to report to prison on Thursday, October 4.
Although Nagle was only convicted of assaulting two students, jurors heard from a third student who made similar allegations against the teacher. The students allege that Nagle groped them while ostensibly measuring them for pants at the school store.
Additionally, prosecutor Teresa Jauregi reminded the judge that a fourth victim had also come forward with allegations of abuse against Nagle. However, the fourth victim was not permitted to testify.
On July 20, jurors deliberated for roughly two hours before finding Nagle guilty of two counts each of institutional sexual assault and corruption of minors, along with one count of indecent assault.
During the trial, two school administrators testified that Nagle was specifically told not to touch students, not to measure or fit students for clothing, and to allow students to buy whatever sizes they chose in October 2016. However, nothing was introduced at trial to elaborate on why Nagle was told not to do these things.
Attorney contributor and school sexual abuse lawyer Brian Kent, helps survivors of sexual violence find answers and justice for the trauma they’ve suffered. We’ve asked him to contribute some general information on the legal rights of those who have been sexually abused by teachers and other school staffers:
Our kids spend the majority of their days at school, as we entrust their care to teachers, counselors, and other school employees. Unfortunately, sometimes these employees turn out to be sexual predators who abuse their positions of trust in order to sexually abuse students. When this happens, it’s normal for families to wonder about their legal rights.
Both the criminal justice and civil court systems can help survivors. While the criminal courts will handle the prosecution of the perpetrator, filing a civil lawsuit can help demand accountability from school districts who fail to keep their students safe. Additionally, these lawsuits help compensate victims for damages they’ve suffered as a result of the abuse, such as therapy costs and pain and suffering.
In order to have grounds for a lawsuit, negligence on the part of the school district must have contributed to the assault. For example, a district may be considered negligent for failing to fire a teacher with a history of allegations of sexual misconduct. Determining negligence is a complicated process, so we advise victims to discuss their case with an experienced sexual assault survivor lawyer in order to better understand their legal options.
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