A Manhattan charter school principal was arrested Thursday in connection with an alleged assault on a seven year old student, according to law enforcement and the Daily News.
The Daily News reported that Jason, 43, a co head of Harlem Hebrew Language Academy, is accused of injuring the boy in January, leaving a cut on his forehead that needed three stitches. The boy’s mother told the paper he also suffered a concussion. She said the principal first told her the boy ran into a door, then later said he accidentally hit him with the door while opening it.
School officials later found video of the incident and gave it to police. Jason was arrested and charged with felony assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child. He was released without bail after his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday night. These are charges, not a conviction.
His lawyer, Martin Druyan, told the Daily News it was a sad accident and said the door may have been defective. Druyan also argued against an order of protection because it would keep Jason from returning to work, but the judge issued it anyway.
The boy’s mother said her son has had nightmares since the incident. The family’s lawyer, Scott Rynecki, said they plan to file a civil lawsuit and want to see the case prosecuted fully. Police and school officials have not told the mother what the video shows, she told the paper.
Jason has been on administrative leave since the incident. Jon Rosenberg, head of the Hebrew Public charter network, said in a note to parents that the board would take up the matter in a closed session on March 11, 2020.
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