Bennington teacher faces sexual assault charges

Elizabeth Keatinge

A former teacher at a Bennington school for special needs students is in custody Tuesday. She faces charges for allegedly having sex with one student and sending nude photos to another.

She walked into court on her own accord but left in handcuffs after prosecutors say she took advantage of her position as an authority figure over minors with emotional issues.

Alexandra Fusco, 25, appeared in Bennington Criminal Court Tuesday.

The mother of two faces an aggravated sexual assault charge and a sexual assault charge for allegedly having sex with her former student at the Bennington School late last year.

According to court paperwork, the former student, who is now 17, was in Department for Children and Families custody at the time.

A second former student also told investigators that Fusco sent him naked photos. She faces a lewd and lascivious charge for that. The mother of one of the victims is outraged and prosecutors in court were also visibly upset that the judge was considering releasing her on bail.

“I’ll be blunt, because I think that I can. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if we were talking about a man, that didn’t make reference to the fact that he had responsibility for two children,” said Erica Marthage, Bennington County State’s Attorney.

“After the shock wore off, it was I’m angry, who am I angry at? Am I angry at the Bennington school for hiring this woman who did this to my child? Am I angry at DCF for putting him in this facility where he was sexually assaulted? I mean the blame goes all the way around here,” said the mother of the alleged victim.

DCF told WCAX they frequently work with the school and have had a long standing relationship. DCF has 38 students currently placed at the school and communicated that the quality of service has never been in question.

The school declined to comment. Fusco faces possible life sentences if convicted.

Source: wcax