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March 6-12, 2020
‘COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE’
Cops charge Oakland Gardens special education teacher with sexually abusing 9-year-old student
Photo: Jenna Bagcal/QNS
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Vol. 29 No. 10 44 total pages
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Police arrested a special
education teacher in Oakland
Gardens on Wednesday after
he was allegedly caught sexually
abusing one of his students
on school property.
According to reports, 48-
year-old Marc Scheibel from
P4 Queens (P4Q) allegedly
forced a 9-year-old autistic student
to “rub his groin through
his sweatpants” and touch his
buttocks. A co-worker alerted
the school principal who then
called the police.
Queens District Attorney
Melinda Katz said that another
person in the classroom allegedly
captured the incident
on camera.
“The victim in this case
is a defenseless child with autism.
The defendant — trusted
teacher in our school system
— is alleged to have taken advantage
of both his position
and the little girl’s innocence.
Our children must always be
protected from predators. The
defendant will be held accountable
for his alleged actions,”
said Katz.
Katz said that the alleged
video recording shows Scheibel
pulling the child’s hand under
the table toward his groin.
Later on in the video, Scheibel
points toward his groin, where
the young girl puts her hand
for a period of time.
“This alleged behavior is
completely unacceptable and
we immediately reassigned
this teacher away from the
classroom because of this
deeply disturbing allegation.
He will not have any interaction
with students,” said DOE
spokesperson Danielle Filson.
P4Q is a District 75 school
co-located within the building
of P.S. 213 and serves students
from Pre-K to 8th grade who
are severely emotionally challenged,
on the autism spectrum
or who have intellectual
disabilities.
The DOE sent letters home
families from both P4Q and
P.S. 213 to inform them of the
incident.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
2583.
/QNS.COM
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