Former New Britain High School paraprofessional Theodore Morris was sentenced to 5 years in prison, suspended after 9 months, after pleading guilty to 1st degree unlawful restraint. The charge and conviction stem from inappropriate touching and photography of a then 18 year old student on school grounds.
The victim, who attended the sentencing but did not speak on her behalf, graduated from a different high school, and her family is planning to sue the New Britain Board of Education in the next few months. Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Debra Collins read the victim impact statement, which read in part,
“My trust against people has been limited and my self-esteem has lowered a lot. There were times I didn’t want to look in the mirror because I was so disgusted with everything.”
Morris’ attorney Martin Rizzi argued that an expert from the Institute of Living determined his client wasn’t wholly responsible because he was improperly trained by the school system on how to deal with students. However Collins said she believed in a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to inappropriate behavior on the part of school staff.
“There should be no touching between a teacher and a student and there should be no requirement of that being taught that,” said Collins, who has previously prosecuted cases involving illicit teacher and student relationships.
New Britain Superior Court Judge Joan K. Alexander ordered the 53 year old Morris to undergo 5 years of sex offender probation, which requires that Morris stay well away from places that children congregate, including schools. Judge Alexander did not require a listing on the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry.
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