Erica Bryant

@Erica_Bryant_

I was sure it was a typo. No possible way would 22 Rochester School District employees write letters in support of Matthew Lomaglio, the former gym teacher convicted of sexually abusing an 8 year-old boy at his school.

Two, perhaps. His two very best friends. Certainly not 22.

But indeed the sentencing judge received nearly two dozen letters from district employees, some on official RCSD letterhead. What's worse, many teachers refused to cooperate with the investigation, which found that the boy was abused multiple times in 2006.

Kyle Rossi, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, expressed gratitude to the many RCSD employees who were cooperative and helpful during the investigation.

He remains astonished that so many teachers flat out refused to speak with police or prosecutors, steadfast in their position that the victim was lying. "They would say this never could have happened," said Rossi. "This is why children don't disclose sexual abuse, because they think the people who can help them won't believe them…I found it reprehensible that teachers would behave that way."

The anger was still in his voice on Wednesday, the day after Lomaglio was sentenced to four years in prison. After forcing the poor boy to relive his abuse in a trial, after being convicted in the face of overwhelming evidence, Lomaglio finally confessed to the abuse.

Astonishingly the judge who sentenced him received letters from district employees saying that Lomaglio had been a good role model for children. Some wrote that they would trust him with their own kids. Not one of the letters included a mention of the victim.

From an average person, a refusal to answer questions in a child sex abuse investigation would be awful. Writing a letter saying that a convicted sex abuser was a "good role model" for kids would be bizarre. From numerous school district employees these actions are downright scary.

Rochester School District Spokesman Chip Partner said that the district can not compel employees to participate in a police investigation. As for the letters of support, he wrote "We understand that the references were personal letters solicited by Mr. Lomaglio from teachers who used to work with him. The district cannot prevent employees from expressing personal views on their own time. If they used work time or resources to write them or purported to speak on behalf of the district without authority to do so, the district will take disciplinary action."

Let's say these employees aren't simply evil people who only care about protecting one of their own. Their behavior shows the length that people will go to to maintain the fantasy that "nice" people don't do horrible things to kids.

The fact is, the vast majority of abusers are not creepy strangers who lure children into vans. Ninety percent of the time, a child is sexually abused by someone he or she knows and trusts, according to the Bivona Child Advocacy Center. In other words, abusers often seem like nice people. They might give disadvantaged children clothes and food, or volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, as the letter writers note that Lomaglio did.

On Thursday Bivona announced an effort to make 2014 a year of increased awareness and education surrounding ways to stop child abuse in the Greater Rochester area. "Stewards of Children Training," a two-hour education course will be made available to adults and groups who interact with children. Obviously more City School District employees should be sent.

They might learn that one in ten children is likely to be a victim of sexual abuse. That less than 10 percent of child sex abuse reports are fabricated. And that most of the fabrications come from adults involved in custody disputes or adolescents. Not 8-year-olds.

Rossi has worked with Bivona to try to empower kids and give them tools to protect themselves from abuse. One exercise involves making a list of people they can tell if something bad happens to them. The number one is always a teacher.

"To have so many teachers come out in favor of a man who admitted he did this, it was terrible to see," said Rossi. "Who can a kid go to?"

Twitter.com/Erica_Bryant_

To learn more

For more information about Stewards of Children abuse prevention training or other Bivona Child Advocacy Center resources call (585)935-7822 or visit BivonaCAC.org