COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. -- Collier County Public Schools have requested that an elementary school teacher be terminated after allegations of sexual contact with students.
It happened during the 2017-2018 school year, but was reported last week to the collier county sheriff’s department.
Three girls have come forward accusing 30-year-old Hector Manley, a second grade teacher at Parkside Elementary School in Naples, of sexual abuse. CCSD says there might be other victims.
Manley was booked into the Collier County Jail on Friday on three counts of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation, victims under 12 years old.
He was released on $60,000 bond Saturday.
According to Manley’s personnel file with the district he’s been at the school for 3 years. At Parkside he was a Spanish tutor and taught Pre-K.
Fox 4 discovered he passed the national sex offender and all pre-employment background checks. Manley also completed district policy documents that includes a section with dating violence and/or abuse. All his evaluations were positive.
The district school board will be discussing Manley’s termination at its meeting March 5th.
To put this in perspective Fox 4 spoke with the Children’s Advocacy Center in Collier County. The center can’t comment on specific incidents, but say out of the 1,100 children they see a year, 30% are victims of sexual abuse.
Center officials can't comment on specific incidents, but say offenders are usually someone the victims know.
“It’s important for adults to respond appropriately and to be responsible and to make sure they believe that child and get help for the child,” said Jackie Stephens, Executive Officer, Children’s Advocacy Center in Collier County.
For parents, Stephens says there are some warning signs kids who are victims of sexual abuse tend to show.
“They may have a change in grades, they may loose or gain weight, they might have anxiety and depression that wasn’t there before, so you’re looking at those changes in behavior for the child,” said Stephens.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, report it to your local sheriff’s office or call the abuse hotline.
