Jeffrey Knight, former Cohasset teacher accused of touching student, goes on trial Monday
QUINCY — A former Cohasset Middle School teacher facing sexual assault charges is slated to go on trial Monday in Quincy District Court after a former student accused him of inappropriately touching her in class.
Jeffrey Knight was arraigned on two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child younger than 14 and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child older than 14 in the same court in September 2018. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
A grand jury declined to indict Knight on the charges. An indictment would have moved his case into Superior Court, where more serious crimes are tried.
The victim, 14 at the time, first brought the allegations to school administrators in February of 2018. Instead of notifying the state Department of Children and Families, as required by law, administrators appeared to have tried to conduct their own investigation into the claims.
Police weren't notified until months later, after school administrators told the family they found no corroboration and left the alleged victim in tears, according to the family's lawyer in legal documents.
Police said the student in the case told investigators that Knight had routinely touched her in a sexual manner during class starting when she was 13.
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The victim is no longer a student in Cohasset Public Schools.
The victim's family reached a $175,000 negotiated settlement with the town through mediation earlier this year, avoiding a lawsuit.
The town denied liability to the family in the settlement, but officials said they believed it was in the best interest for all involved to settle.
Knight also faces sexual assault charges related to a different victim who claims she was abused between 2014 and 2015. She came forward after reading about charges brought against Knightin the news. Knight was indicted on those charges, five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, in 2019. The case is still pending in Norfolk County Superior Court.
John McGlone, Knight's attorney, declined to comment when reached by phone on Friday, Nov. 12.
Knight's alleged behavior, and the school district's handling of the claims, caused an uproar with parents at the time. Several school administrators and school committee members left in the months after.
The Patriot Ledger won an investigative journalism award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association for its coverage of how the school handled the claims.
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Joe Difazio can be reached at jdifazio@patriotledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @jldifazio.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Jeffrey Knight, former Cohasset teacher, on trial for sexual assault
