North Bergen school officials were busy last week trying to calm the fears of parents after two first grade students at McKinley School told police that they were tied up and bound with masking tape by a physical education teacher.
David Bellani, 31, a physical education teacher and assistant basketball coach, was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a minor. He had been suspended with pay the previous Thursday after the parents of one of the students complained to the school.
The parents said that Bellani tied a six-year-old boy around the boy’s hands and ankles with masking tape.
Tuesday, Bellani was charged with the assault and was released on his own recognizance, according to the police, into the company of his attorney, Scott Bazzani of Union City.
Bazzani declined to comment on the case last week.
Bellani will be arraigned on Wednesday, Jan. 24, in front of a Hudson County Central Judicial Processing Court in Jersey City.
Bellani faces up to 40 years in prison on the two aggravated assault charges, as well as an additional 20 years for the endangering the welfare of a minor. He could also face fines of as much as $300,000.
According to police reports, Bellani has been linked to two separate alleged incidents involving the mistreatments of his first grade students.
Two alleged incidents
According to a written statement issued to the press by the North Bergen Police Department, on Jan. 9, Bellani allegedly made a six-year-old student “sit down in his chair in front of the class and then taped the boy’s hands together with white tape.”
The statement says the boy alleges that Bellani then took the boy’s sneakers “and tied them around his neck.” “At some point, Bellani then allegedly removed the tape,” according to the statement.
As part of their investigation, police said that they found another incident involving Bellani and a first grader. In this incident, alleged to have occurred on Jan. 4, Bellani is accused of having used his own sweater to tie a student’s hands together.
Bellani then allegedly took the student’s sneakers off and tied them around the boy’s neck. Some students reported that Bellani made the youngsters smell the sneakers as well.
After the first incident was first reported last Thursday, the North Bergen Board of Education moved to suspend Bellani with pay.
“While the legal procedures are ongoing, he is suspended with pay while the investigation continues,” Superintendent of Schools Peter Fischbach said.
Fischbach said that any procedure regarding Bellani’s status would come upon recommendation from Board of Education attorney Joseph Ryglicki.
Force ‘inappropriate’
Fischbach said that the board was deeply concerned about the allegations and the subsequent arrest of one of their teachers.
“Any type of use of force against a child is inappropriate,” Fischbach said. “We do not need any type of accusation of abuse to any child. We constantly encourage our principals and our supervisors to instruct teachers how to diffuse such problems, from an instructional and behavioral point of view. It’s an ongoing thing. One of the procedures that is stressed that if you have a problem with a child, you take the child to an administrator and you don’t allow the child to be unattended. There are appropriate ways to handle the situation.”
Added Fischbach, “If there is a reasonable belief that something has occurred, then we immediately contact the State Division of Youth and Family Services and if need be, the police department. We then let those agencies decide what action to take. If any type of abuse is expected and there’s reason to investigate, the police become the governing agency.”
Fischbach said that he had spoken with the parents of the children.
“The parents have been concerned and they have a right to be,” Fischbach said. “We’ve instructed [McKinley School principal] John Mautone and [vice-principal] Anthony Poerio to meet with any concerned parents. We’ve also instructed the guidance counselors to talk to the students if necessary.”
According to police reports, the students who witnessed the incident believed at first that it was part of a game. “But when the boy started crying, it wasn’t a joke anymore,” said Union City attorney Alan Molina, who is representing one of the boys.
Parents were shocked over the news, considering that Bellani was well-liked and never had any reports of alleged misbehavior.
“It’s hard to believe that he did it,” said Elena Santos, who has a son in first grade. “He’s such a nice person and the kids seem to love him. I can’t believe he did it.”
“I have to be concerned,” said Jorge Matos, who has two children in the school. “You send your kids to school and you believe that they’re going to be safe. But then you hear that they’re being tortured like this. It’s really sad.”
Fischbach refuted reports that the students were tied to the chair. The students are also not special education students, which was also reported. And there was no accusation of any sexual assault on the students.
“Those were all inaccurate and inappropriate reports,” Fischbach said.
Bazzani was unavailable for comment and told other news organizations that he was declining all comments. Bellani also declined to comment.
Was a rising star
Bellani was considered a rising star among the Board of Education. As the head coach of the high school freshman basketball team, as well as an assistant with the varsity, Bellani was well respected and had a bright future, quite possibly as a head coach sometime in the future. He was hired as a physical education teacher in September of 1997 and had just earned tenure as a teacher.
Bellani’s older brother, Peter, is the comptroller and assistant business administrator for the North Bergen Board of Education.