Yeshiva Schools teacher investigated in sexual assault
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh police bureau’s sex assault unit is investigating claims of sexual assault involving a teacher at the Yeshiva Schools in Squirrel Hill.
It was not known if the incident under investigation involved a student or where it might have occurred.
The investigation was confirmed Tuesday night by public safety department spokeswoman Sonya Toler, who was unable to provide more details. Authorities could not confirm whether state investigators were involved.
The Yeshiva Schools include the boys school and Lubavitch Center Campus at Hobart and Wightman streets and the girls school and preschool campus at Forbes and Denniston avenues. Representatives of the schools could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
The Yeshiva Schools are in the district of City Council member Corey O’Connor, who on Tuesday night said he was aware of the investigation.
“It’s our job — and the job of the police — to protect every child throughout the community,” he said, adding that the obligation extends to all schools.
“It’s an ongoing investigation. The police do a great job,” Mr. O’Connor said. “We’re all in it together to make sure our kids are safe. If someone broke the law, they definitely should be held accountable.”
The first day school for Jewish students in Pittsburgh, the Yeshiva School opened its doors to four students in an attic apartment on Dawson Street in Oakland in the early 1940s.
Since then it has grown into a proud presence in the community, including a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion in the mid-1990s. At the time, Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, the school principal, said during an interview with the Post-Gazette that Yeshiva was begun so Jewish children could have a full secular education as well as a complete program of Jewish heritage, including the Hebrew language. “This is where their training begins in how to live Jewishly,” Rabbi Rosenfeld said. “We ensure that every child knows they are superstars, certainly in their own way, and that they as individuals can reach their fullest potential.”
Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas would not confirm the investigation but said, “If there were allegations made and reported to ChildLine, they would absolutely be investigated,” referring to the state’s child abuse hotline.