Leonard White of West Palm Beach, Florida was arrested on August 2 for allegedly exposing himself to a student during nap time at a Jupiter school.
White, 34, is being charged with lewd and lascivious behavior. He was released from Palm Beach County Jail the day after his arrest on $15,000 bond, and was ordered not to have any contact with minors. The press did not name an attorney for White.
According to the arrest report, the alleged incident took place at a school in Jupiter last month. The name and location of the school is redacted. White reportedly exposed himself to a 4-year-old who was sleeping on a mat during nap time and tickled her under her shirt.
Surveillance video from the school allegedly shows White walking past the 4-year-old on more than one occasion and then bending down over her. It appears that he touched her, but what he does after is unclear because of a hanging decoration that blocks part of the footage.
The allegations against White were brought to the school by the child’s parents. The school director spoke to White about the incident and he reportedly denied exposing himself and said he only “adjusted his pants.” But when he was interviewed by Jupiter police two weeks later, White admitted he pulled out his penis and exposed himself in front of the child, the report said.
Police records indicate that White works at the school, but his position is redacted. White has been told to stay away from the school pending the outcome of the investigation.
This is the second case of inappropriate sexual conduct by a school employee reported this month. Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filed in federal court against the Miami-Dade School Board that claims the board failed to do anything to stop Palmetto Senior High School teacher Jason Edward Meyers from sexually harassing his students.
The suit claims concerns about Meyers’ behavior have been raised for several years. Someone reportedly sent an email to Dr. Michael M. Krop High School in 2008 claiming Meyers was having sex with his female students. It is unclear if the allegation was investigated, but Meyers was relocated to Palmetto High three years later.
According to the suit, Meyers is believed to have had inappropriate relationships with at least eight of his students over the past 14 years. He taught creative writing and allegedly encouraged his students to write sexual explicit content. He told one student to read “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov, with special attention on passages about an older man seducing a minor.
Other allegations listed in the suit include: trying to force a student to dump her boyfriend and telling her to title a poem she wrote, “Come Inside Me,” and giving another student provocative clothing to wear in class. These students became known as “Jason’s girls” because of the attention he gave them, the suit said.
Meyers was fired in 2016 after he was arrested on a sexual battery charge involving a student.