Former Virginia Teacher Jailed For Secretly Filming Students In School's Dressing Room

A former Virginia high school drama teacher has been sentenced to four years in prison for secretly filming his students in the dressing room.

The incident came to light in April 2019 when a nanny working in the house of the teacher, identified as Raphael Schklowsky, in Fairfax County told the police she had discovered a camera hidden in an air conditioning vent at the residence, reported WTOP News.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers went to Schklowsky's home, where they eventually found more than 30 recording devices. They then discovered about 8,000 videos in the electronic devices, some of which contained child pornography.

Many of the girls in the videos appeared to be students at Herndon High School, where the accused taught drama.

Investigation revealed the photos and videos had been taken between May 2017 and June 2018. Authorities found Schklowsky had installed a small camera in a dressing room at the school to secretly record students while they changed.

Following the series of discoveries, Schklowsky was charged with 20 felony counts of possession of child pornography and a felony count of unlawful filming.

One of the students in the photos appeared in the court Friday and told the judges about the trauma she suffered. The victim said she had to identify photos of herself and her friends, in which their private parts were visible, to the authorities. She said she had nightmares as a result of the incident and was afraid to fall asleep.

"It's so unfair. I just feel I have no control over this situation," she told the court as per NBC 4.

Schklowsky was sentenced to four years and two months behind bars Friday. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender after his prison term. The court added that the accused would require supervision to use the internet and would not be allowed to have unsupervised contact with any children apart from his own kids.

"I feel horrible for what I did. I violated the trust of my students. Not a day goes by where I don't feel pain and disgust with myself," Schklowsky told the court Friday.