BETHLEHEM — A 20-year-old Selkirk man was arrested by Bethlehem police on Monday, Nov. 11 in relation to an incident with four Glenmont Elementary School children last week.
Matthew S. Wilson was an employee of Schools Out Inc., a non-profit organization that provides before- and after-care for students across the Bethlehem Central School District. He allegedly had inappropriate contact with four children, all under the age of 11, at their school during its Schools Out program before regular classes began, according to police reports.
The children immediately told school staff and their parents about the incident who then reported to the police.
After an investigation by Bethlehem police, Wilson was arrested on four misdemeanor counts of forcible touching and four misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He arraigned by Judge Ryan Donovan at the Town of Bethlehem Court and released under the supervision of probation. He will return to the court on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m.
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Lorraine R. Silverman, president of the Schools Out Inc. Board of Directors, released a letter to parents where she confirmed that Wilson is no longer a SOI employee at the Glenmont Elementary School, effective immediately. According to her, the incident happened while the kids were enjoying playtime on the playground and SOI has been fully cooperative with Bethlehem police during its investigation.
While she did not detail what exactly happened, she added that SOI “reported the allegation to Child Protective Services and also retained a law firm to pursue an independent and comprehensive review of our internal controls and processes to ensure our handling of this matter was done appropriately.” She also wrote that SOI is not aware of any other similar allegation in its 35-year history.
Bethlehem police commended the children for quickly alerting others about the incident. Anyone with more information about the incident or may have had inappropriate contact with Wilson should contact Bethlehem police at 518-439-9973.
To view Silverman’s letter that was sent to parents, click on the image below.
