A teacher in Darien arrested for allegedly inappropriate contact with a student was accused of similar behavior while teaching at two previous schools, according to court documents.
Sean Boardman, 59, of Westbrook faces one felony count of risk of injury to a minor after being arrested by the Darien Police Department on Jan. 30.
The arrest warrant affidavit said a student at Darien High School accused Boardman of touching her hip under her waistband but over her underwear during a meeting before school started for extra help with math work on Nov. 21. The girl told investigators he was aware that she had injured her hip and that he allegedly used his index and middle fingers to press down and ask where it hurt, the warrant affidavit said.
According to Superintendent of Darien Public Schools Eric Byrne, Boardman has been on leave since the day the incident was reported. Byrne said school officials “immediately took action” and reported the allegations to authorities.
“Given that this matter involves a student and is an active case, I cannot offer further comment,” Byrne said in a statement.
The warrant affidavit said police investigating the complaint found that similar allegations had been made involving Boardman when he served as a math teacher and assistant softball coach at Bunnell High School in Stratford from 2020 to 2022 and as a teacher and coach of several teams at Nathan Hale-Ray High School in the Moodus section of East Haddam between 2012 and 2022.
In December, the principal at Bunnell told Darien police she had received multiple complaints from varsity softball players in spring 2022 about Boardman, including allegations that he had massaged a player’s shoulders and changed his shirt behind a tree while visible to players and spectators, the warrant affidavit said. Other complaints allege he told a player her pitching was “on fire, just like you” and that he made a crude comment toward a player who was hurt while having her hair braided, police wrote.
“I thought you would have liked it like that,” Boardman allegedly said, according to a student’s complaint.
According to the warrant affidavit, the allegations were reported to the state Department of Children and Families, but the agency did not accept the report. Boardman resigned from Bunnell in May 2022, the warrant said.
A Darien police detective also discovered DCF records that indicated the principal at the high school in East Haddam reported an incident to the agency in December 2019 after allegedly finding Boardman alone with a female student in his classroom after classes had been dismissed for the day, according to the warrant affidavit. The principal reported that the door was locked with the curtain down, the lights were off and music was playing when Boardman was allegedly found on the floor next to the girl as she was sitting on a towel, the warrant affidavit said. Both of them were clothed but were reportedly sweating, according to the complaint.
The student initially claimed that Boardman was giving her a massage because she was sore and denied that anything sexual happened, the warrant affidavit said. The girl later denied getting a massage and said Boardman had only touched her neck with his finger, according to the warrant affidavit.
Police who investigated the incident could not establish probable cause for an arrest, the warrant affidavit said. The DCF investigation was disposed of despite allegations of “grooming behavior” after the student denied feeling uncomfortable and did not undergo a forensic interview.
“Based on our review to date, the records maintained by the district demonstrate that the investigation into Mr. Boardman’s conduct in East Haddam was conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and board policy, including contacting the Department of Children and Families,” East Haddam school officials wrote in a statement. “Contrary to assertions made in the news, at this time, there is no evidence to conclude that the previous administration did not comply with employment law when providing information about Mr. Boardman’s employment to other school districts or otherwise violated the law in any manner.”
The comments from school officials disputed a CT Insider report suggesting school officials from East Haddam and Stratford should have disclosed the allegations on a Connecticut Educational Employment Verification form that was sent to them by Darien administrators when Boardman was seeking a teaching position. On the form, officials are asked whether an applicant is currently under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct or if any such accusations had been substantiated. They are also asked whether the applicant had “been disciplined or asked to resign” in connection with sexual abuse claims.
In their statement, East Haddam school officials conceded their review of the situation turned up “certain aspects of the matter could have been handled differently.”
The superintendent of Stratford Public Schools did not respond to an email seeking comment.
A spokesperson for DCF said Tuesday the agency conducted a joint investigation with police in connection with the complaint in Darien. He did not comment on the previous reports.
According to the warrant affidavit, the student in Darien who filed a complaint against Boardman emailed a counselor about the incident about 20 minutes after she said it occurred around 7:20 a.m. The girl was “visibly shaken” and in tears when she saw the counselor later in the day, the warrant affidavit said.
During a forensic interview three days later, the girl alleged that Boardman on multiple prior occasions had allowed her to change answers on her math tests and resubmit them — something she did not see him offer other students, the warrant affidavit said. When asked why she was undergoing an interview, the girl allegedly said Boardman had “touched (her) in a way she did not like at all,” according to the warrant affidavit.
The girl also described what led to the alleged inappropriate contact. She said she was scheduled to see Boardman for extra help with her math work before school started and that she was hesitant to walk into the classroom because she noticed the door was closed and the room appeared dark, according to the warrant affidavit. Once she got inside, she said it appeared abnormal that the blinds next to the door were closed.
After sitting at a desk, the girl alleged that Boardman approached her and began adjusting her necklace, asking where she had gotten it, the warrant affidavit said. She told the interviewer this made her uncomfortable but that she did not say anything.
As she leaned over the desk, her hair fell in front of her face, she said. The girl alleged that Boardman moved her hair aside and touched her neck in the process, according to the warrant affidavit. She said she felt uncomfortable and began asking questions about her work.
The girl alleged that Boardman then asked about an injury to her hip and how it was feeling and touched the area, the warrant affidavit said. She said he then allegedly used two fingers to press in different areas of her hip under her waistband while asking if it hurt, according to the warrant affidavit. She said the contact lasted about 10 seconds.
The girl told the interviewer that she “recognized what was happening and just wanted to get out of there,” according to the warrant affidavit. She said she left the classroom shortly thereafter and that no other contact had occurred.
Police noted in the warrant affidavit that other classmates reportedly noticed something was wrong with the girl after the alleged incident, including one who described her face as “blank” and asked if she was OK.
In an interview in December at the Darien Police Department, Boardman told a detective that the student showed up to the classroom unannounced as he was grading papers despite previously asking her to arrange any meetings for extra help through email, the warrant affidavit said. He said he did touch the charm on her necklace but insisted it was only after he asked her to hold it up away from her body, according to the warrant affidavit.
Boardman also claimed that he asked about the girl’s hip and pointed to it, but he denied touching her, the warrant affidavit said. He allegedly told investigators the door was closed and the blinds were down because he would set the room up as a courtesy to other teachers who share the classroom, the warrant affidavit said.
Two attorneys and a DCF social worker sat in on the interview, according to the warrant affidavit. The attorney who represented Boardman during the interview did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
Police interviewed three teachers who worked with Boardman, who each said they never witnessed him doing anything inappropriate with students, the warrant affidavit said. A detective noted finding a “significant” discrepancy when they were asked if Boardman would set up the classroom for any of them, which they disputed.
Boardman is free on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to face a judge on Friday in Stamford Superior Court.