JOINT STATEMENT ON ROMANOS ARREST

JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE SOMERVILLE PUBLIC

SCHOOLS AND THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE

For additional questions and information regarding this matter, click here.

This morning, a 5th grade teacher at the East Somerville Community

School was arrested by Somerville Police and arraigned at Somerville

District Court on statutory rape and additional charges stemming from an

alleged inappropriate relationship with a middle-school-aged child. The

teacher, Alexandra Romanos, age 41, has taught in the District for

seven years. The case is being prosecuted by the Middlesex District

Attorney’s Office.




Nothing we can say will soften the impact that such news has on a

community, particularly one as dedicated to nurturing and supporting our

youth as Somerville. We are repulsed and angry that someone who made an

oath to uphold the highest moral standards in the execution of her

responsibilities as a teacher and a role model has allegedly blatantly

violated that trust.




We recognize that there are many questions and concerns. We share those

concerns and have many of the same questions. However, as this is an

ongoing criminal investigation that involves confidential student

information, there is little information that we are able to disclose.




What we can do is assure you that the safety and well-being of our

students is always our highest priority, and upon learning of these

shocking and very serious allegations, we took swift and immediate

action. The Somerville Police was alerted within minutes and the

Massachusetts Department of Children and Families was notified by both

the Somerville Police and Somerville Public Schools, an investigation

was launched at once, and Ms. Romanos was also immediately placed on

administrative leave and barred from all school properties and

functions. The district is fully cooperating with the ongoing

investigation by law enforcement, and we will continue to keep parents

and the community informed as more information becomes available.




Parents and guardians with questions for school administrators or who

are seeking support services are encouraged to contact Director of

Student Services Rich Melillo at 617-625-6600 ext. 6028 or

rmelillo@k12.somerville.ma.us or School Information Officer Susana

Hernandez-Morgan at 617-629-5221 smorgan@k12.somerville.ma.us. We

encourage anyone with information that they feel is relevant to the

investigation to contact Sgt. Rich Lavey of the Somerville Police

Department at 617-625-1600 ext. 7237.

As representatives of the City of Somerville and the Somerville Public

Schools, we have also directed that the following measures be put in

place:

• 
  
  The Somerville Office of Constituent Services’ 24-hour hotline is
  
  open for parents, guardians, teachers, and others concerned who have
  
  questions about this situation. The number is 311 from landlines inside
  
  Somerville or 617-666-3311 from cell phones or from outside of
  
  Somerville.
• 
  
  Somerville public schools will activate the Somerville Trauma
  
  Response Network and the Riverside Trauma Center to provide counseling
  
  and other resources for students, teachers, City staff, parents and
  
  guardians, for as long as it is needed. These counselors will also be
  
  available to talk to parents and guardians about how to approach this
  
  subject with their children.
• 
  
  Our Parent Information Centers have interpreters on hand to assist
  
  families who speak Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.
• 
  
  A message has been sent to all school faculty and staff, as well as
  
  parents and guardians, to inform them of the situation and that
  
  resources are available to them.
• 
  
  Somerville Police detectives are assisting our State partners in
  
  the investigation and are available to any parents who have specific
  
  concerns.

These resources will be available for as long as they are needed.

We are committed to keeping you informed as the investigation progresses.

--Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi