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Stamford High Top Brass Arrested, Failed To Report Teacher Sex Scandal

STAMFORD, Conn. -- In a stunning development in a shocking sex case involving a Stamford High School teacher and a student, the school's principal and assistant principal were arrested Thursday on charges of failing to alert authorities immediately of the allegations.

Stamford High Principal Donna Valentine was arrested for not telling authorities of sex allegations involving former teacher Danielle Watkins and a student.

Stamford High Principal Donna Valentine was arrested for not telling authorities of sex allegations involving former teacher Danielle Watkins and a student.

Photo Credit: Stamford High website
Assistant Principal Roth Nordin was arrested for not telling authorities of sex allegations involving former teacher Danielle Watkins and a student.

Assistant Principal Roth Nordin was arrested for not telling authorities of sex allegations involving former teacher Danielle Watkins and a student.

Photo Credit: Stamford High website
Stamford High Principal and Assistant Principal were arrested for not telling authorities of sex allegations involving former teacher Danielle Watkins, pictured above, and a student.

Stamford High Principal and Assistant Principal were arrested for not telling authorities of sex allegations involving former teacher Danielle Watkins, pictured above, and a student.

Photo Credit: Stamford Police Department

Instead, Principal Donna Valentine, 62, and Assistant Principal Roth Nordin, 59, launched an internal investigation into Danielle Watkins sexual impropriety with an 18-year-old student after first learning in December of the allegations, police said.

Valentine and Nordin were each charged with one misdemeanor count of failing to report an allegation. The two have been placed on administrative leave by the school district.

Officers began investigating Watkins in June after information was provided to them about the relationship, and Watkins was arrested in July.

However, in August, police learned that Stamford High School's administration had heard of allegations involving Watkins as early as December from several independent sources but failed to tell the state's Department of Children and Family Services as required by law, police said.

Police also said that the investigation is open and continuing.

In a statement issued following the arrest, Superintendent Winifred Hamilton said the district will review its practices.

"The safety and security of our students is, and always will be, our top priority," the release said. "An arrest of this nature is unprecedented in our district, and until all of the facts are known, the administrators in question will be placed on administrative leave without prejudice, as is the standard procedure when such allegations are made. Once all the facts are known, we will take the opportunity to look closely at our practices and training to determine whether we should make changes in our processes going forward.

Watkins, 32, is a Norwalk resident who taught English at Stamford High School. She has been charged with having sex with an 18-year-old male student and threatening to fail him if he didn't continue the sexual relationship, police said.

Watkins was charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of selling marijuana in connection with the case involving the 18-year-old, police said. She is also charged with selling marijuana and risk of injury to a child after she provided marijuana to a 15-year-old student, police said.

The teen provided police with a statement on June 23 saying he had had a sexual relationship with the teacher throughout the school year, from September 2013 to June 2014, police said.

The sexual encounters occurred in her vehicle during school hours but not on school grounds, police said. 

Read more about the July arrest of Watkins here in the Daily Voice. 

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