His arrest comes after a student at Chatsworth Elementary School "accused [Vincent] Root of touching him inappropriately during previous school years," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
A special education teacher is being held behind bars after being accused of sexually touching seven boys at a New Jersey elementary school.
Vincent Root, 58, has been charged with seven counts of second-degree sexual assault and seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw.
His arrest comes after a former student at Chatsworth Elementary School "accused Root of touching him inappropriately during previous school years," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
An investigation into the boy's allegations soon revealed that there were multiple boys who alleged that Root had touched them in a sexual manner while at school over a multi-year period, according to the prosecutor's office.
Root is currently being held at the Burlington County Jail ahead of his first court appearance, while the prosecutor is preparing to present the case to a grand jury.
The school district has placed Root on administrative leave and banned him from school property.
"As soon as the School District was made aware of this matter, we reported it to the proper authorities and immediately contacted the parents of the affected students," district officials said in a statement. "Please know that this staff member has been banned from contacting anyone affiliated with the School District and is currently banned from all School District grounds."
Root has yet to appear to in court and no attorney is listed in court records.
