Mother Suing Private West Hartford School After Teacher's Arrest: Lawsuit

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Claiming a private West Hartford school failed to protect her daughter from a teacher accused of inappropriate touching, the mother of one of the alleged victims has filed suit against the school.

The Bristol woman is the mother of a 6-year-old girl who was a former student of Manchester resident Nicholas Ricciardi, 47.

Ricciardi taught for part of last year at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford, 26 Buena Vista Road, West Hartford.

On June 13, Ricciardi was charged by West Hartford police with risk of injury/impairing the morals of a child. It was his second arrest by the West Hartford Police Department this year.

On Jan. 17, Ricciardi was charged with one count of risk of injury or impairing the morals of a child and one count of second-degree breach of peace. That investigation prompted the school to dismiss Ricciardi.

According to online court records, Ricciardi is out on a combined $135,000 bond for all the charges. He will next appear in Hartford Superior Court on Oct. 14, with his case in the pre-trial phase.

The mother's lawsuit was filed Aug. 27 in Hartford Superior Court by attorneys with Logan, Vance, Sullivan & Kores out of Torrington.

Specifically, the lawsuit names as defendants the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford; Rabbi Jonathan Berger, the head of the school; and Sarah Montag, director of teaching and learning there.

The lawsuit states the Bristol mother enrolled four of her daughters in the school, ages 4, 6, 8, and 11. The mother also has a 2-year-old daughter, according to court documents.

According to the lawsuit, the 6-year-old daughter "began having nighttime disturbances, refusing to sleep in her bed, waking frequently, refusing to go to bed without a night light, and begging to sleep with her parents."

The mother said, in the court documents, this type of behavior — noticed in September 2024 — was unusual for the 6-year-old.

According to court papers, one of the mother's other daughters at the school said she saw him touching the 6-year-old "in the stomach area below the belly button."

Throughout the fall of 2024, the lawsuit alleges the teacher "tickled her in the lower stomach, and/or touched her with forceful, painful, sharp, and claw-like motions, causing (the 6-year-old) pain, fear, discomfort, and distress."

According to the suit, the 6-year-old suffers from a heart condition that can be fatal during extreme times of stress.

When the mother brought her concerns to school officials, the school denied any problems and then, later, urged the family to meet with Ricciardi in a "restorative justice" meeting, according to the lawsuit.

Not happy with that response, the Bristol mother withdrew all of her children from the school, according to the lawsuit.

Later in the school year, Ricciardi was charged by West Hartford police in connection with multiple incidents involving multiple girls at the school.

According to the court filing, the Bristol mother said the named defendants "owed a duty and obligation to hire competent and safe employees to supervise its staff adequately, and to protect and provide a safe environment for students."

Solomon Schechter is a Jewish community day school that serves grades preschool through eighth-grade.

The plaintiffs are seeking monetary and punitive damages in excess of $15,000, according to court filings.

The lawsuit alleges not only a loss of education due to the 6-year-old having to find another school, but "depression, emotional and mental trauma, loss of happiness, physical pain, fear of being touched, and separation anxiety."

From June 18: 'Former West Hartford Teacher, Again, Accused Of Touching Child: Police'

From Jan. 24: 'West Hartford Teacher 'Inappropriately Touched' Pupil: WHPD'