Former West Hempstead special ed teacher John O'Dwyer hit students, locked kids in closets, lawsuits allege
Newly filed lawsuits allege a former Cornwell Avenue Elementary School special education teacher abused students. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
A former West Hempstead special education teacher hit students with textbooks, forced one to drink vinegar and locked children in dark closets — all while district officials turned a blind eye to the abuse, several new lawsuits filed this month alleged.
John O'Dwyer, who worked at Cornwell Avenue Elementary School from 2020 through 2024, often penalized students when they "got an answer wrong or took too long” to respond, according to the lawsuits. The abuse included shoving students off chairs and “stabbing them in the eye with markers," the suits allege.
Students complained about the abuse but in some cases they were punished for doing so, the suits claim. Complaints from parents were ignored and some school employees treated the students for injuries but did not report the abuse, as mandated by law, according to the suits.
“Despite the knowledge … that one of their teachers was torturing students, defendants did nothing. Instead of investigating the parents’ allegations or terminating O’Dwyer’s employment, defendants consciously disregarded their students’ suffering and fear,” the complaints state.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- A dozen families are suing the West Hempstead school district and two administrators, claiming they failed to stop a special education teacher who is alleged to have abused children.
- The teacher, John O’Dwyer, faces criminal charges in connection with the alleged striking of two children. He has pleaded not guilty.
- The Nassau County District Attorney’s office is continuing to investigate.
O'Dwyer is not named as a defendant in the suits, which were filed by a dozen families on behalf of 14 children. The families are suing the West Hempstead school district, Superintendent Daniel Rehman and Cornwell Avenue Elementary School principal Deanna Sinito, claiming the officials permitted the alleged conduct.
The families are seeking unspecified monetary compensation and, according to attorney Nathan Werksman, policy changes.
A spokesperson for the district and Carmen T. Rodriguez, an attorney representing the district, said they do not comment on ongoing litigation.
New allegations
A lawsuit filed in October on behalf of 11 families of 13 children with special needs had alleged that O'Dwyer "physically and mentally abused" West Hempstead students from 2021 to 2024.
But the new lawsuits, which include an additional family, offer greater detail into the alleged abuse of students, at least one of whom was identified as non-verbal.
One complaint claims that O'Dwyer dropped hand sanitizer on a chair to make it look like a female student had a “bathroom accident." On numerous occasions, the suits allege, he punched students in the head.
In one lawsuit, a parent alleges the defendants’ failure to report the abuse allowed O'Dwyer to obtain work as a home educator for a non-verbal child with special needs. The child's parent claims O’Dwyer pinched the child, leaving marks on the child’s chest and thighs. He also allegedly force-fed and "stuffed" the child with food and "stomped" on the child's feet, according to the complaint.
O’Dwyer was criminally charged earlier this year with one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of endangering the welfare of an incompetent, physically disabled person.
The teacher is accused of striking a 7-year-old in a classroom at Cornwell Avenue Elementary School from Jan. 15, 2024, through June 2024. He is also accused of hitting a 10-year-old disabled child while working for Family of Kidz, a behavioral and mental health service provider.
O'Dwyer has pleaded not guilty to both charges. His Mineola-based attorney, John Pascarella, did not return requests for comment.
The Nassau County District Attorney's office's investigation is ongoing, according to a spokesperson for the agency.
State complaint
O'Dwyer resigned from the West Hempstead district in June 2024.
Rehman, the West Hempstead superintendent, filed a complaint against the teacher with the state Education Department's Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability on March 4, 2025, according to a review of O'Dwyer's personnel files, which were released through a public records request.
The specific allegations were redacted. The complaint states the district conducted an investigation but was "not in the position to take disciplinary action against Mr. O'Dwyer," since he no longer worked for the district.
Rehman said in the complaint that he alerted police on Feb. 26, 2025.
O'Dwyer's personnel files indicate there was a potential issue involving a student that district officials wanted to speak to him about in 2024. Dina Reilly, the assistant superintendent for curriculum, sent O'Dwyer a letter in January 2024 requesting to meet to "discuss a student incident occurring on November 30, 2023." No further information was available.
There were two meeting requests with administrators in June 2024 but the purpose of those meetings was unclear.
A staff member had filed a complaint on May 2, 2023 accusing O'Dwyer of "harassment and a hostile work environment," according to a letter sent by Sinito, the school's principal, on Sept. 22, 2023. Sinito found the allegation did not rise "to the level of a violation" of the district's anti-discrimination policy, according to the letter. The staff member was moved to another location to work separately from O’Dwyer, who was advised on how to avoid violating district policy.
O'Dwyer received an overall strong performance during his last review, which was submitted in April 2024, according to district records.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
