Lawsuit: Former substitute accused of sexual contact with student

STAMFORD — A former Stamford substitute teacher is being accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual contact with a Westhill High School student in 2016.

According to a lawsuit filed against the city of Stamford, a former student at the high school claims that Reuel Camacho engaged in sexual conduct with her around August 2016.

The complainant, only identified in the suit as “Jane Doe,” also alleges that Camacho provided her with drugs or alcohol, or both.

According to the lawsuit, Camacho was employed as part of the district’s music program.

But according to Stamford schools’ payroll records, Camacho was not an official employee of the district until December 2017, when he was hired as a substitute teacher, said Chris Soules, director of human resources for the district. According to Soules, Camacho was a substitute until August 2019, at which point he resigned.

Soules provided a list of Stamford schools where Camacho accepted assignments as a substitute. They include elementary schools Davenport Ridge, Hart, Springdale, Stark, Toquam and Westover, as well as middle schools Dolan and Turn of River. Camacho also accepted assignments at Rogers International School and Strawberry Hill School.

Camacho is an employee of Waterbury Public Schools, according to Waterbury schools spokesperson Belen Michelis.

The suit claims that the alleged incident was caused by the “negligence and carelessness” of city employees. Further, it claims the city did not appropriately supervise or train Camacho adequately, claiming he “posed a foreseeable risk of harm to others.” It also claims that the school district failed to warn the plaintiff that Camacho had a “propensity to behave in a dangerous, violent and/or inappropriate manner” and that he “behaved in an inappropriate manner with other students,” but does not specify what that behavior was.

A remote hearing in the case is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday.

According to the Connecticut judicial branch’s website, Camacho is represented by attorney Mark Sherman. A message was left for Sherman, but he did not respond in time. Kathryn Emmett, corporation counsel for Stamford, declined to comment.