By Murray Weiss, Shayna Jacobs, Leslie Albrecht, Trevor Kapp and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Staff
QUEENS — A Queens computer teacher who was disciplined for inappropriately touching two students more than a decade ago was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly abusing two more elementary school students — the third recent incident in which a Department of Education employee was busted for allegedly sexually abusing a child, officials said.
Wilbert Cortez, 49, who worked at P.S. 174 in Rego Park, was hit with two counts each of child sex abuse and child endangerment charges after being arrested at 8:35 a.m., according to a spokeswoman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
In 2000, the Department of Education substantiated claims that Cortez "inappropriately touched two male students" at P.S. 184 in Brownsville, Brooklyn. To make matters worse, the report, by the Special Commissioner of Investigation, said that one of the students reported the conduct to the teacher, but the teacher did not pass the information on to authorities.
The charges come just days after a teacher's aide at the Upper West Side's P.S. 87, Gregory Atkins, was charged with sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy, sparking outrage at the highly-regarded school. In a chilling echo to the Queens case, Atkins too had a history of disturbing behavior. A 2006 investigation by the Special Commissioner of Investigation found that he had an inappropriate relationship with a boy at an upper Manhattan middle school.
And in January, a former teacher's aide at a school in Brooklyn, Taleek Brooks, was arrested for allegedly filming child pornography in a classroom.
“I am appalled by the allegations against Wilbert Cortez. No adult who inappropriately touches a student, in or out of school, belongs anywhere near the children we are responsible for protecting," said Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott.
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that individuals like Mr. Cortez can be swiftly removed from our classrooms as soon as allegations surface--and be barred from teaching in our schools if those charges are substantiated."
Sources said that Cortez allegedly abused the victims, 8- and 9-year-old boys, over the course of the 2010-'11 school year at P.S. 174 in Rego Park, which is holding an emergency meeting for parents Friday morning at 9 a.m. to discuss the matter.
According to the sources, he allegedly touched the boys' genitals multiple times and rubbed one of the boys' buttocks.
The Department of Education said that Cortez, who came on a substitute teacher in 1986 and came on full time in 1990, was removed from the classroom on Oct. 27, 2011 and assigned to administrative offices outside the of the school.
Sources said the investigation was sparked five months ago after one of the victims told his parents about the alleged abuse.
Because Cortez is in charge of computer instruction for the entire school, which serves grades K-6, investigators began the process of interviewing all the students and are still in search of more victims.
One of the boys who was an alleged victim of Cortez told investigators that he knew of of other students who had been abused. The other had been out of the country.
In a letter to parents dated Feb. 16, the school's principal, Karin Kelly, explained that the school had learned that Cortez may have inappropriately touched a child in October 2011.
"Upon learning of this investigation, we immediately notified the Police Department and the Special Commissioner of Investigation, and reassigned Mr. Cortez to a central office away from students," the note said.
Kelly declined to discuss the specifics of the allegations but said that investigators may be contacting parents to see if there are additional victims.
"The NYPD or the Queens District Attorney's office may contact some parents as they seek to determine if there are other children who may have been involved or been witnesses," the note said.
"In addition, if you have reason to believe that your child may know something about this incident, or if you suspect your child may have been harmed in any way, please contact me or the NYPD right away."
The 2000 SCI investigation into Cortez revealed that he slapped a male student's backside twice, and that when he was alone with the student, he wrapped his hands around the boy and pulled him close. The boy said the touching made him feel uncomfortable, so he reported it to his teacher — three times — but the teacher failed to report the incidents to authorities.
The teacher told investigators he didn't report the allegations because they could ruin Cortez's career. Another student also said Cortez slapped him twice on the backside.
SCI's report concluded that Cortez had "clearly" engaged in a pattern of inappropriate conduct, and investigators recommended disciplinary action. A letter was placed in Cortez's personnel file as a result.
SCI investigators also noted that Cortez "must be advised that future misconduct will result in termination of his employment."
After school Thursday, some parents defended the veteran educator.
Angela Yusupova, 42, who has two daughters who attend the school, said that one of her girls commented: “'Mom, he’s very good.'" He’s a nice guy. My kids always said he's so nice.”
On RateMyTeacher.com, Cortez got several high ratings including several that called him "awesome."
A phone number at Cortez's home was disconnected.
