WASHINGTON – Police have arrested a man they say entered an elementary school last week and inappropriately touched a student who was assigned to escort him through the school.
Davon Rashad Wood, 21, of Southeast, was charged with second-degree child sexual abuse after authorities say he sexually assaulted a student at Ketcham Elementary School, located on the 1900 block of 15th Street in Southeast.
Police say Wood entered the school on Feb. 1 and asked to speak to someone. He was assigned a student escort who he touched inappropriately while they walked through the school.
The day after the incident, D.C. Public Schools officials said an adult aide at the school did not follow system policy when assigning Wood a student chaperone. According to the aide, Wood came into the school and said he was there to pick up a student, and a student chaperone was assigned to bring him to that student’s classroom.
The aide said he thought he recognized Wood.
“This is not a DCPS policy and this incident has highlighted a need to take immediate short- and long-term action to improve procedures and protocols around school security,” says Melissa Salmanowitz, a DCPS spokeswoman.
Salmanowitz says normal DCPS policy requires all visitors to check in with security — who should be present at the school’s entrance at all times — and to sign in and present proper identification.
Another adult is required to cover the desk if security must leave. Salmanowitz’s statement does not specify whether security was at the post or not when the suspect came into the building.
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