A male teacher at John Bowne High School was arrested Friday after allegedly groping seven female students between March 9 and 11 at the Kew Gardens Hills school.
The complaint against Vashmi Guduru charges him with three counts of forcible touching, five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and five of third-degree sexual abuse.
The NYPD said all the victims were between 15 and 17 years old.
The office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in an email that Guduru is free on supervised release, and that there is an order of protection in effect for all seven students. The community where he lives was not provided, as is it for most defendants.
The city’s Department of Education told the Chronicle that Guduru is no longer interacting with students.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority,” the DOE spokesperson said in an email. “The alleged behavior is deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable. Upon learning these allegations, this individual was immediately reassigned away from students. If the allegations are confirmed, we will pursue termination. Additional support will be provided to the school community.”
The Chronicle has reached out to Guduru’s attorney for comment.
According to the redacted complaint, the first six incidents allegedly took place on Monday, March 9, a 15-year-old said Guduru caressed her right breast without her consent at about 11:15 a.m. on March 9.
A second 15-year-old girl said he squeezed her buttocks without her consent at approximately 11:50 a.m.
The third alleged incident took place at about 2 p.m., at which time a girl reported that Guduru “stood very close to her and put his hand over her hand.”
Another student reported that Guduru touched her lower back with his hand at 2:07 p.m.
The next alleged incident took place at approximately 2:50, with a student accusing hi or squeezing her buttocks without her consent, and a sixth student alleging that Guduru placed his hand with an open palm on both her breasts, also at about 2:50 p.m.
The seventh incident is alleged to have taken place on March 11, when he is accused of placing his hand on a student’s hand, touching her cheek and squeezing her left breast without her consent.
The NYPD is asking any other victims to please come forward by calling the NYPD’s Sex Crimes Hotline at 1 (212) 267-RAPE (7273) or 1 (646) 610-7272, the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.