A male after-school worker at Everett Middle School was arrested yesterday by San Francisco police for an allegedly inappropriate contact with a student, according to the San Francisco Unified School District.
The after-school program is run by Mission Graduates. Four similar extended-day programs are offered at Bryant Elementary School, Flynn Elementary School, Sanchez Elementary School and Bessie Carmichael School PreK-8 Filipino Education Center.
It is unclear whether the man involved is an employee or volunteer of Mission Graduates, a nonprofit organization located at 3040 16th St. that helps low-income youth gain access to college.
“We are deeply concerned about the recent incident at Everett Middle School,” said Eddie Kaufman, CEO of Mission Graduates, in an emailed statement. “Our foremost priority is the safety and well-being of students, and we are actively collaborating with SFUSD and authorities in their investigation.”
The administration at Everett Middle School received a report of inappropriate contact between an adult affiliated with the school community and a student yesterday, and immediately contacted the police department, according to the San Francisco Unified School District. The school’s principal then contacted parents and others at Everett regarding the incident.
SFPD officers responded to the school at around 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday and arrested an adult male. The incident is currently under investigation by both police and SFUSD. It is unclear if the suspect is being held in custody.
The incident was first reported by the San Francisco Standard.
Everett Middle School is providing direct support to the affected student and their family. It is unclear whether the suspect was alleged to have had inappropriate contact with any other students. “We encourage anyone at school who may have been impacted by this, or who has relevant information to share, to contact SFPD or a trusted adult on campus. All allegations will be thoroughly investigated,” the school district said in a statement.
Both SFPD and SFUSD declined to disclose more details.
Students said that the incident had been a topic of discussion all day, with various rumors spreading among students. “Multiple people were talking about it today. It was the talk of the day,” said one student. No one Mission Local interviewed, however, had any direct knowledge of the incident.
“We recognize that the community may be feeling a variety of emotions as a result of this,” the district said in the statement.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
Correction: A previous version of this story cited parents saying that they had not received any communication immediately following the incident. The story has been updated to reflect that the principal did, in fact, send out an email soon after the incident occurred.
