Michael Ciccolella, a social studies teacher at High Rock Middle School since 2008, was arrested on Thursday and charged with possession of child pornography, distribution of obscene material and distribution of material depicting a nude child, according to the Middlesex district attorney’s office.
The arrest was made in Ashland, where Ciccolella lives, following an investigation over several months by members of the Ashland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit and Patrol Division, in collaboration with the Massachusetts State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and members of the Metrowest Drug Task Force.
A press release from the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the preliminary investigation suggests the defendant viewed and distributed sexually explicit images of minors ranging from ages three to 12 using the online messaging applications Media Lab/Kik.
In addition to his role as a teacher, Ciccolella has been involved since at least 2017 with area club soccer teams. In his profile on LinkedIn, he describes himself as a “dedicated educator and soccer coach with a proven ability to inspire and empower young minds.”
In a statement to the High Rock community, Needham Schools Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst said he was informed of the charges Friday and Ciccolella “was immediately placed on administrative leave, and his access to Needham Public Schools buildings, grounds, and digital files was removed. Law enforcement has no reason to believe that any High Rock or Needham Public Schools students were involved or harmed in any way.”
Gutekanst said in his statement that the safety and wellbeing of students is always the district’s top priority and that they will cooperate with all law enforcement agencies as the investigation continues. “Due to the disturbing nature of the charges, we encourage families to speak with their children and reassure them that they are safe at school. We will be offering counseling services to students and staff to ensure they feel safe and supported,” he wrote.
Gutekanst declined additional comments when contacted by the Observer.
Needham Police Chief John Schlittler said Needham Police were not involved in the investigation, which he said was handled by the Massachusetts State Police and the Ashland Police departments.
Ciccolella was arraigned Friday in Framingham District Court where he pleaded not guilty on all charges. Judge Michael Callahan ordered the defendant held on $500,000 cash bail and he was committed to Middlesex Jail. If he posts bail and is released the judge ordered him to have no unsupervised contact with children 18 and under, not to use the internet and to submit to home confinement with a GPS monitoring device.
According to the DA’s press release, during a search of Ciccolella’s residence authorities seized multiple pieces of evidence for further analysis. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Ciccolella will next appear in court on March 27 for a probable cause hearing.
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