High School Teacher From Fair Lawn Indicted on Sex Charges

A 27-year-old Clifton High School teacher who grew up in Fair Lawn was indicted this week on sexual assault charges stemming from two sexual encounters she allegedly had this April with one of her male students.

Kristin Leone, a 2003 Fair Lawn High School graduate, was arrested at her Clifton apartment in May after a joint investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and the Clifton Police Department found sufficient evidence to demonstrate that Leone had engaged in sexual contact with a 16-year-old high school student on two separate occasions — one on school grounds and one at her home in Clifton — according to a statement provided by the prosecutor's office.

Leone was formally charged by a Passaic County grand jury on Tuesday with one count of sexual assault, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of luring and enticing a child, two counts of criminal sexual contact and two counts of official misconduct.

She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is free on $100,000 bail.

Police were made aware of the alleged illicit relationship between Leone and her student by Clifton High School administrators, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said in a statement.

Leone, who is currently on leave from her teaching job, had been a full-time social studies instructor at Clifton High School since 2009, and also worked part-time for Bloomfield High School as a marching band instructor, according to NorthJersey.com.

She played in the marching band at Fair Lawn High School.

In May, Leone's lawyer, Ronald Ricci, told NorthJersey.com that his client had no disciplinary record and was popular with students and colleagues.

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