An after-school program instructor at an Upper West Side private school is accused in a sex attack on a 9-year-old girl, authorities say.
The victim was playing basketball at the IDEAL School of Manhattan with other students Friday afternoon when the group started to head indoors to watch a movie, police said. Channing Parker, who works at the school, asked the girl to stay behind to hang out.
Authorities allege the 22-year-old Parker took her to a bathroom, where he forced her to perform a sex act on him.
The mother of the young girl called the school and informed them about the incident after her daughter recounted the ordeal when she was picked up from school, police said.
Some residents of the quiet neighborhood were shocked to hear about the assault and are calling on the school to rectify the situation.
"I think it's so terrible because this is such a nice neighborhood, I'm so shocked" said resident Shunli Warner. "I hope the school district will work with police to enforce the rule and make sure this never happens again."
Parker's neighbors were equally as shocked by the news.
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"You don't know it's gonna be your neighbor and it's surprising to hear this right now," a neighbor told News 4. "We would have never known."
A spokesman for the IDEAL School said Parker is an employee of an outside provider of after-school services, Kids Creative. He added that the administration notified authorities of the incident and have fully cooperated with the investigation.
"Our students' safety is our top priority," the school said in a statement Sunday. "The IDEAL School has terminated its relationship with Kids Creative effective immediately."
Parker allegedly passed a mandatory background check for the agency, who has provided various programs for kids to the private school and more than 25 others for more than 15 years, according to IDEAL.
In a statement sent to NBC New York Sunday, Kids Creative said it conducts "rigorous" background checks on all of its employees. The agency said it hasn't experienced allegations of the sort against any of its employees in its 17-year existence.
"Kids Creative is deeply troubled by the recent allegation against one of our employees at The IDEAL School of Manhattan," the agency said. "Kids Creative has terminated the employee for violating its rules and procedures and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement. We will continue to support The IDEAL School of Manhattan and its community throughout the criminal investigation. The health and safety of our students is our top priority."
Officers arrested Parker Saturday. He faces charges of first-degree criminal sex act, first-degree sexual abuse and predatory sexual assault against a child younger than 13 years old.
