School Bus
In 2009, 13-year-old Ashley Davis was struck and killed by a car while walking to her school bus stop. Her family cited the Prince George's County School Board for negligence, winning a $90 million wrongful death settlement. Flickr.com

A Queens elementary school teacher was arrested Thursday for allegedly sexually abusing two boys, according to the New York Times.

Wilbert Cortez, a 49-year-old computer science teacher at PS 147 in Rego Park, has been charged with second-degree course of sexual against a child and acting in a manner to injure a child under the age of 17.

According to police, Cortez is accused of sexually assaulting two boys, an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old, in the 2010-2011 school year. Allegations of inappropriate touching on behalf of Cortez arose last October, at which point he was put in an office position away from children.

This is not Cortez's first charge of sexually abusing a minor. In 2000, was removed from his teaching position at PS 184 in Brooklyn after he was to have inappropiately touched two of his students. A letter of misconduct was placed in his file by the special commissioner of investigation for the New York City school district, but no charges were filed.

Cortez is the third NYC school employee in the past week to have been arrested for sexually abusing his students. On Feb. 8, Taleek Brooks was arrested for videotaping children for a child pornopgraphy film at the school where he worked as a teacher's aide. On Feb. 10, Gregory Atkins was arrested for sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy.

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