A Brooklyn teacher has been arrested for allegedly having oral sex with a 16-year-old boy on at least two occasions last year, authorities say.
Waris Grant, a 37-year-old teacher at P.S. 256 Benjamin Banneker in Bedford-Stuyvesant, was arraigned Friday on multiple counts of criminal sexual act and sexual misconduct, among other charges. Grant has worked at the school since 2003 and been a city teacher since 2001.
He initially had been arrested on a charge of promoting prostitution for allegedly paying the boy for sex but prosecutors did not proceed with that count.
According to the criminal complaint, Grant allegedly had oral sex with the boy once in November and once in December at a home in Brownsville. A man who answered at door at the location prosecutors listed in the complaint said he recently moved in and hadn't heard of the allegations; neighbors did not know Grant.
A neighbor of Grant's at his last known address in Crown Heights said she was shocked by the allegations and had trouble sleeping Thursday night after she learned of his arrest.
The boy is a public school student, though it's not clear if he attended Grant's school.
Parents at P.S. 256 were appalled when they learned of the allegations.
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"Not Mr. Grant!" said parent Jessie Curry. "I mean, he's been a good teacher. He's been my child's teacher for two years."
Sulidelna Esteves said, "It's horrible. It's not something you expect because you send your kids to school thinking that they are in the best hands when you leave them with the teachers."
Grant was arrested after the boy told his parents about the alleged abuse and they contacted police, authorities said. Bail was set at $3,750. Information on his attorney wasn't immediately available.
The Department of Education said Grant was reassigned once it learned of the allegations.
"While the allegations against Mr. Grant are not school-related, they are deeply disturbing," DOE spokeswoman Devora Kaye said in a statement. "DOE took swift action to immediately remove him from the classroom, and he will remain away from students."
