John O'Dwyer, former West Hempstead teacher, 'repeatedly' hit 7-year-old: court documents
A former Cornwell Avenue Elementary teacher has been charged with child endangerment. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
A former West Hempstead elementary school teacher is accused of “repeatedly and consistently” hitting a 7-year-old student on the head over a roughly six-month period in 2024, according to court documents.
John O'Dwyer, 36, of North Massapequa, was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Jan. 15 on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child. He allegedly struck the student with a closed fist when wrong answers were provided during class at Cornwell Avenue Elementary School from Jan. 15, 2024, through June 2024, according to charging documents. He was arrested on Jan. 14, court papers state.
School officials declined to comment Tuesday, but a district spokesperson shared a letter that Superintendent Daniel Rehman sent to families in March. The letter notified families that the district had taken "appropriate steps as part of an investigation into a former employee of the district." According to the letter, the district contacted law enforcement and the state Education Department about the allegations.
The letter did not clarify when or how the employee left the district, or what their role at the school was. A lawsuit filed in October, however, identified O'Dwyer as a special-education teacher.
O'Dwyer also has been charged with a felony offense for allegedly striking a 10-year-old disabled child while working for Family of Kidz, a behavioral and mental health service provider. It's unclear when he began working for the provider.
O'Dwyer was allegedly assisting the disabled child, who is severely autistic and unable to care for himself, at his home on Oct. 28, 2024, when the alleged criminal conduct took place. O'Dwyer was charged with endangering the welfare of a disabled person for allegedly stomping on the patient’s feet and also pressing on a self-inflicted injury above the left eye, court papers state. The 10-year-old patient had previously engaged in self-harm, according to the court documents.
“Defendant leaned over and pressed juvenile victim’s injury above his eye hard enough to make him pull back and yell out in pain,” the charging documents state.
O'Dwyer pleaded not guilty to both charges, according to public records. Attempts to reach him and his attorney were unsuccessful.
Family of Kidz did not return requests for comment Tuesday.
JP O’Hare, spokesman for the state Education Department, said the department does not confirm or deny investigations, but added, “We take all allegations of misconduct against educators extremely seriously.” The department has authorization to investigate allegations regarding “lack of good moral character,” and the educator is entitled to a hearing, he said.
Lawsuit pending
A lawsuit, filed in October on behalf of 11 families of 13 children with special needs, alleges O'Dwyer "physically and mentally abused" the students from 2021 to 2024. The complaint further alleges the West Hempstead district allowed the teacher to continue working "despite numerous red flags and warnings" about his behavior.
The children "suffered serious and permanent physical and emotional injuries," according to the lawsuit.
Attorney Nathan Werksman, who represents the families, told Newsday in an emailed statement: "Criminal charges against Mr. O'Dwyer — while important — are only one step in the process of getting justice for all the special needs kids harmed by O'Dwyer."
He continued, "Through our ongoing civil case, we are going to get to the bottom of why the West Hempstead UFSD allowed Mr. O'Dwyer to physically and psychologically torture his students and why the West Hempstead UFSD attempted to cover it up, as we have alleged."
The lawsuit seeks "compensatory damages from defendants in such sums as a jury would find fair, just and adequate," per the filing.
The West Hempstead district declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
