What to Know
- David Hay was arrested in Milwaukee on a charge of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime; he's also accused of possessing child porn
- He was a deputy chief of staff for New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza
- An investigation in Hay's hiring found that he had lied about being forced to resign at his previous job as a Wisconsin high school principal after he allegedly failed to obtain a state education license and misused school's credit card
The New York City Department of Education could change how it investigates candidates for high-level positions after an investigation found that a high-ranking schools official accused of sexual abuse lied about a forced resignation in his background check.
In the Special Commissioner of Investigation's report on David Hay, the former deputy chief of staff to New York City Schools Chancellor who was arrested last year for allegedly facilitating a child sex crime, officials found that Hay had been forced to resign as a Wisconsin high school principal in 2011 after he failed to obtain a state education license and misused a school credit card.
Investigators found that Hay made more than a dozen false statements in his questionnaires before he was hired as Chancellor Richard Carranza's deputy chief of staff.
The investigations office also said that the DOE's background check and the Department of Investigation's background procedures wouldn't have revealed Hay's lies and recommended improvement to their policies.
In addition, Hay’s former employer was "bound by a written resignation agreement" that didn't allow them to say anything derogatory about him.
In a statement, Special Commissioner Coleman said, “SCI’s review of the DOE vetting process for highlevel titles and sensitive positions revealed areas in need of improvement. We look forward to DOE’s response to SCI’s recommendations.”
Hay was fired last year after he was charged with using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, started corresponding with the "teen," who was actually an undercover officer, on a popular dating app.
He allegedly bought a whirpool suite at a Wisconsin hotel to meet up with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old boy, according to a criminal complaint.
The 39-year-old engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the child and made plans to meet up for sex, prosecutors in Wisconsin said.
In addition to the computer facilitation charge, Hay is accused of possessing child pornography and faces up to a lifetime of imprisonment if convicted of the enticement charge. He faces up to 10 years on the child porn charge.
