A Fairfax County Middle School Principal has reportedly been charged with failing to follow the state’s mandatory reporting laws when he did not report allegations of child sex abuse in a school to Child Protective Services or the police.

According to local news source Inside Nova, a Fairfax County Middle School Principal Yusef Azimi is charged with failing to follow the state’s mandatory reporting laws when he did not pass along the child sex abuse allegations to Child Protective Services or the police. Inside Nova reports that a teacher at Thoreau Middle School teacher, Matthew Snell, sent inappropriate text messages to at least one student and was accused of sexual assault.

Snell was reportedly arrested in October of 2019 as he attempted to flee to Mexico. He is charged with carnal knowledge of a child and taking indecent liberties while in a custodial position, according to Inside Nova.

According to police, Principal Azimi reportedly knew of an allegation of sex abuse by Snell made by students, but did not comply with Virginia’s mandatory reporting laws. These laws require those in certain professions to report suspected child abuse to the state’s child protection agency or to the police within 24 hours. Failure to do so can result in fines as well as criminal charges in cases of child sexual abuse.

“Detectives confirmed that complaints of suspected child abuse were reported to Thoreau Middle School Principal Yusef Azimi in October 2019,” said Fairfax police in a news release. “However, the complaints were not subsequently reported to CPS or the police, as required by law.”

Azimi reportedly turned himself in to police and has been released on a $3,000 bond. Police told reporters that Azimi’s arrest was a part of an investigation into a year-long investigation into Snell. Azimi reportedly faces a misdemeanor charge for failing to report suspected child abuse.

Snell, according to NBC affiliate Washington 4, has been charged with multiple felonies. Snell’s indecent text messages were reportedly discovered by a student’s mother who contacted the school principal in October of 2019. The principal, Azimi, allegedly failed to report the mother’s concerns to child protective services or the police.

Reportedly, Snell also committed sex acts with a student inside the school building, according to the charges lodged against him.

Not the First Failure to Follow Mandatory Reporting Laws

According to the Washington Post, Azimi is not the first Fairfax County school administrator to be charged with failing to report allegations of child abuse. In December of 2019, an elementary school principal in the same district faced the same charges for failing to report allegations that six students with intellectual disabilities were physically abused.

According to the Washington Post, Fairfax County school officials wrote a letter to students and parents addressing Azimi’s arrest. Indicating they were “saddened and distressed,” they noted that the principal had been placed on leave in November of 2019.

“FCPS takes this matter seriously and an FCPS Human Resources administrative investigation was conducted concurrently with the police investigation,” the superintendent reportedly wrote in the letter.

“Earlier this month, the School Board voted unanimously to strengthen our abuse and neglect reporting policy for staff because we know there is nothing more important than safeguarding the health and safety of our students,” the letter continued.

Fairfax County school parents told Washington 4 reporters that they believe reporting child abuse is a moral obligation of educators.

“It’s tragic because the principal of the school is the one person who is responsible for the health and safety of the children,” a father told Washington 4.

Others who are aware of claims of child abuse at Fairfax County Schools are urged to contact the police. Reports can be made anonymously.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.