NY Special Commissioner of Investigation Substantiates Teacher Engaged In Non-Consensual Sexual Conduct

July 21, 2026: The Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District (SCI) Anastasia Coleman announced July 21, that an SCI investigation substantiated that New York City Department of Education teacher Lennard Persaud, formerly assigned to John Adams High School in Queens, engaged in non-consensual sexual conduct and inappropriate communications with a former student while she was between 16-and 17-years old.

“Lennard Persaud’s conduct was egregious, dangerous, and predatory, and he has no place working in a school or anywhere around children,” Coleman is quoted saying in the press release. “Teachers are entrusted with the safety and well-being of their students, and anyone who exploits that trust and their position of authority over adolescents must be held accountable.”

SCI’s investigation began in April 2023 after receiving information that a former student alleged Persaud sexually assaulted them multiple times while they attended John Adams High School. According to the investigation, the misconduct occurred between 2014 and 2016, when the student was 16 and 17-years-old, during the student’s junior and senior years of high school.

SCI’s investigation substantiated that Persaud engaged in non-consensual sexual intercourse with the former student on numerous occasions and maintained sexually explicit and inappropriate communications with a student. Investigators also interviewed former students who corroborated aspects of the relationship and described observing the student’s emotional distress during the relevant period, including having “breakdowns” and “crying a lot in school”

During the investigation, SCI reviewed text message exchanges containing explicit sexual content between Persaud and the former student. Persaud declined to be interviewed by SCI citing his tenured status.

Persaud was arrested by the New York City Police Department in June 2023 on charges including Rape in the Third Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree. In January 2024, he pleaded guilty to Disorderly Conduct, a violation, and received a conditional discharge.

Based on its findings, SCI substantiated the allegations and recommended that Persaud’s employment with the Department of Education be terminated and that the problem code attached to his personnel file remain in place to prevent future employment with the DOE or its vendors. SCI also referred the findings to the New York State Education Department for appropriate action.