A sixth-grade public school teacher is out of jail after she was arrested last week and accused of allegedly raping one of her teenage students.
Claudia Tillery, 42, was handcuffed Tuesday after a 14-year-old boy came forward alleging a two-year sexual relationship with her.
Tillery works as a humanities teacher at Middle School 35, the Stephen Decatur School, in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn.
The victim went to the police with his accusation on Nov. 22, telling them he had a sexual relationship with Tillery that began when he was 12 and lasted for two years, according to the New York Daily News. Prosecutors said she allegedly slept with the boy in both her Crown Heights home and at a motel in the borough.
Tillery, a mother of three, was charged with rape and sexual abuse. She is also accused of having drugs and alcohol around the boy.
Her lawyer said the charges against her are false, and told reporters she only mentored the boy, arguing that the teen was angry after he was arrested for stealing Tillery’s cell phone. Tillery was released on bail Thursday morning.
She has been removed from the classroom until the case against her is resolved.
Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter @AlisonatMetro.
