Crime
Former Hingham substitute teacher Stephanie Papasodero allegedly continued to reach out to students even after she was told to stop.
A former Hingham Middle School substitute teacher appeared in court this week after she was accused of inappropriately texting students, allegedly calling one child a “snitch” and asking another student to give the girl “stitches” after the district found out about the messages and fired her.
Stephanie Papasodero, 37, of Hull, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to one count of solicitation to commit a crime punishable by less than five years in state prison. Hingham Public Schools terminated Papasodero’s employment back in March after learning that she was allegedly communicating with students in violation of district policies, according to a letter Principal Derek Smith sent families on April 3.
The district complied with all of its background check policies when it hired Papasodero, Smith’s letter noted.
On March 28, the parents of two eighth grade students showed Smith and a school resource officer videos, FaceTimes, texts, and images Papasodero allegedly sent students at various points in the school day and during nights and weekends, according to Hingham Police Department reports.
School Resource Officer Robert Ramsey noted in one report that nothing in the messages seemed to be pornographic or illegal at that point. “However, the topic in some of the communications, some of the language she uses, and the overall ‘relationship’ are extremely inappropriate,” Ramsey added.
In his letter to families, Smith noted that Hingham Public Schools immediately terminated Papasodero’s employment and directed her to cease contact with students and their families. But according to the police reports, Papasodero continued to reach out to students even after she was told to stop.
She allegedly contacted students via text and Snapchat on March 30 to “get students who she felt were responsible for her termination outcasted from their peers,” according to one report. In these messages, Papasodero allegedly described one student as a “snitch” and told another student to give the girl “stitches.”
“Looking at the text message regarding giving her stitches, Papasodero is requesting a middle school student to not only commit an assault and battery on [redacted student’s name], but do so in a way that could permanently disfigure her with stitches,” Sgt. Nicholas Smith wrote in another report. “She solicited someone to commit a crime.”
According to the police reports, Papasodero was responsible for teaching a group of three girls who all had learning disabilities. Papasodero also allegedly sent the students videos of similarly aged children getting into violent altercations on or near school grounds. It was not immediately clear where those videos were recorded.
Following her arraignment Wednesday, Papasodero was released on personal recognizance with orders to stay away from and have no contact with the alleged victim. She was also ordered to stay away from Hingham Middle School, Hingham High School, and the alleged victim’s home.
“I don’t think that there’s any information and any evidence in this particular report which even forms the basis of this complaint which could be sustained,” Papasodero’s defense attorney, Joshua Werner, told Boston 25 News, which first reported on the case. Werner did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment Friday morning.
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