Cinnaminson Teacher Previously Accused Of Sex Abuse Keeping Job

CINNAMINSON (NJ)
Patch

May 2, 2019

By Anthony Bellano

A veteran teacher of 22 years in the Cinnaminson Public School District who allegedly impregnated a teenager when he was priest in Connecticut has come under fire over the past several months for comments he made to a female student.

But a state arbitrator has dismissed the district’s attempt to have him removed from his position, saying the attempt is based on “hearsay,” according to court records.

“We are disappointed in the ruling, and we are currently evaluating what options we have moving forward,” Cinnaminson Superintendent of Schools Stephen Cappello said.

Joseph DeShan began teaching at Cinnaminson Middle School and Rush Elementary School in 1996, two years after he left the priesthood. When DeShan was a priest in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he fathered a child with a 16-year-old student, according to court records.

That relationship was reported by newspapers in Connecticut in 2002, and his name appears on a list of credibly accused diocesan priests and accused religious order priests who served in the Diocese of Bridgeport.

He wasn’t charged with any crimes because the woman told her story after the statute of limitations in Connecticut had expired, according to the Harold J. Gerr Law Firm.

Once the alleged pregnancy story became public, he was placed on administrative leave by the Cinnaminson Public School District Board of Education for about three weeks before being allowed to return to work, according to court records.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.