28-year-old Brittany Rohl, in a sensational allegation, claimed that her former coach and teacher 'groomed her for sex' while in high school. Rohl, in a now-viral post on Instagram, which she addressed to the Babylon Board of Education, alleged that the teacher first targeted her when she was 16. Rohl, who now lives in Florida, attended Babylon high school in Long Island.
"Grooming children affects their ability to consent as 'adults,'" Rohl wrote in her post. "He waited for the week of my 18th birthday to have sex with me, and he later went to great pains to dispose of evidence." The allegations surfaced after one other Babylon teacher was sacked recently from the school for unspecified indiscretions, according to News12 Long Island. Rohl told the outlet that she felt the need to come forward with her story after learning about the removal.
Rohl wrote an eight-page letter to the Babylon School Board providing a detailed timeline of her sexual assault at the hands of the teacher. Rohl, in her letter, expected that her story "can at the very least provide a cautionary tale for other families." "I hope that by coming forward publically, I can help others feel comfortable coming forward and reduce some of the shame associated with it."
The teacher gave 'special attention' to Brittany Rohl
Brittany Rohl graduated from the school in 2011. In her letter, she claimed that the teacher, who was in his mid-thirties at the time, gave her special attention so he could gain her trust. According to Rohl, the teacher "started to isolate me and make me feel special by telling me I was 'overlooked' and that he was the only one who appreciated me in track as well as academics." The teacher even gave Rohl an A- in a class during her senior year so "it wouldn't look suspicious." The teacher then "continued the narrative that the school was incompetent at getting me prepared for college and that he was the only one capable of ensuring my success," Rohl further said.
'I didn't feel I could say no'
Rohl then claimed in her letter that the teacher told her they should "be dating" senior year. "He sat me down on the bleachers at the football field and told me that he wanted to take my virginity," she wrote. Sometime after her 18th birthday in August 2011, the teacher came to Rohl's house and they had sex for the first time. "I didn't feel I could say no," she said. The relationship continued when Rohl enrolled in Fordham University. "It was very controlling," Rohl alleged. "He monitored me on an hourly basis." She further wrote that the relationship became toxic as she was terrified of his wife and others finding out about their relationship.
"This person is a former employee," a district spokesperson told News12 Long Island in a statement. "As we receive information, we will provide to outside special counsel who will be looking into the matter and updating the Board of Education and superintendent," the statement further added.
