Stamford Teacher, girls basketball coach accused of inappropriately touching 12 students

A Strawberry Hill Elementary School teacher accused of assaulting a dozen pupils is barred from having any contact with youngsters other than his 1-year-old daughter, a judge said during his arraignment Monday. 

Accusation Against Stamford Teacher:

Andrew Park, 33, was charged with 12 counts of fourth-degree assault, 12 counts of endangering a minor, and 12 counts of unlawful contact with a victim under the age of 16. He was arrested over the weekend on a $175,000 bond after Stamford police raided his Norwalk flat on Friday. According to the arrest warrant, the instances involved 12 girls between 11 and 13, who told officials that Park would hug them, often putting his hand on them and offering sweets in exchange for hugs.

What do the Officials Say?

Park’s family attended Monday’s court hearing and was ready to post his bond. According to court officials, if released, Park will have to wear electronic monitoring and remain under full house arrest except for when he drops off and picks up his daughter from daycare. 

According to the warrant, officials from the State Department of Children and Families refused to examine his behavior three times until the victim’s mother contacted him twice. According to the warrant, when DCF began its investigation, it discovered that other young girls had similar experiences with Park, a fifth-grade teacher and former girls’ basketball coach. According to the warrant, the females said Park sometimes made them uncomfortable with embraces. According to the warrant, Park was placed on leave on February 12 after DCF declined to investigate twice. According to authorities, each of the students was then interviewed forensically and supplied facts about the assaults. According to the warrant, he has been at the institution since 2019 and has no past criminal record. 

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