In Montgomery County, a jurisdiction that has long taken pride in its schools, the allegations against Vigna were particularly striking because they brought to light earlier warnings that he had received from supervisors.
In 2008, Vigna was admonished for inappropriately having a child on his lap. Three months later, there was a similar incident, according to court records. After a third complaint in 2013, he signed a pledge to avoid “any physical contact at all” with students.
Three years later, after taking the body safety class, an 11-year-old girl told another teacher that Vigna had been improperly touching her for 18 months, according to police allegations filed in court. The girl told the other teacher “that Mr. Vigna made her feel uncomfortable and inappropriately touched her by squeezing her buttocks when he hugged her,” according to court filings. A second student, also 11 and a close friend of the first girl, came forward with similar allegations.
Police filed charges against Vigna related to both girls. Three more students or past students stepped forward. Two girls accused Vigna of “fondling their bodies over the clothing in an open classroom with other students present,” according to court records. A woman in her 20s also came forward with similar allegations dating back to about 2002, according to court records.
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