Chesco teacher charged with sex abuse of student

The head of the Concept School in Chester County was arrested in connection with allegations that he sexually abused a student, the Chester County district attorney said Tuesday.

G. James Symonds, head of school and a teacher at the private school in Thornbury Township, was arrested Friday and charged with corruption of minors, indecent assault, and related charges.

He is accused of contacting a male student almost daily between May 2014 and February 2015 while the student was in the eighth and ninth grades at the school. Multiple times, he asked the student to meet him in his office and the bathroom to "hug," police said.

Symonds, 62, allegedly discussed sexual topics with the student, told him he loved him, and once inappropriately touched him. Symonds knew he could go to jail if someone found out and told the student that, police said.

Symonds was fired after his arrest, said a statement Tuesday from school board chairman Herman Goldner.

"We are a resilient and supportive community that I know will help one another as we move forward," Goldner said.

The school, founded in 1972, is for "children with obstacles" such as learning or social-interaction problems, according to its website. It offers small classes and individual attention for students in grades seven through 12.

The school is arranging counseling. Board member Margaret-Ann Koch was appointed interim head of school, Goldner said.

This is the second such arrest in Chester County within a month. In June, Matthew Scavitto, a teacher at the Phelps School in Malvern, was arrested on charges of long-term sexual abuse of a student. He was fired from the school and is set to be arraigned next week.

Symonds' photo, biography, and blog were still on the school's website late Tuesday morning.

"When we say we get to know our students, we mean it. When we say we care about our students, we mean it," Symonds wrote in a February blog post.

Symonds, who lives in Wilmington, had taught at the Concept School since 2004 and became head of school in 2012. He previously taught at Delaware County Community College and Delaware Technical Community College, and in Massachusetts, the district attorney said.

He posted bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday.

Authorities said there could be other victims. Anyone with information can contact Westtown-East Goshen Detective Jason Large at 610-692-9600.