Former clinician in North Rockland school district faces child endangerment charge
A former North Rockland Central School District employee is accused of endangering the welfare of a child.
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A former North Rockland Central School District employee is accused of endangering the welfare of a child.
Sylvia Cooley was arraigned on the misdemeanor charge in Nyack Tuesday.
Cooley was a clinician previously assigned to support the North Rockland High School community.
News 12 learned through papers that Cooley is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a high school student.
Those documents show the incident happened near the water in Nyack.
Last month, News 12 reported that an unnamed school district employee was placed on administrative leave.
Tuesday's coverage
On Monday, the school district reported that the employee, who police have identified as Cooley, was arrested and is now a "former" employee.
Families in north Rockland County call the allegations disturbing.
"It's disappointing because they are the role models for our children," says Garnerville resident Jessie Oms.
In a letter to parents, the district's superintendent said they are committed to handling the situation with utmost care and diligence.
"In any misconduct allegation, we are disappointed when the highest standards of education are not met and the critical work of supporting students is undermined," said Superintendent Dr. Kris Felicello in a statement.
Cooley is due back in court May 6.
It's also worth noting, efforts by News 12 to get into Tuesday's court hearing were initially denied for reasons still unclear. After various calls, our reporter was allowed inside to cover it.
