Bernardo Placencia has been charged with super aggravated sexual assault of a child. The Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable's Office says Placencia was working as a music instructor and giving private music lessons to children at the School of Rock facility in The Woodlands when the alleged offense happened in November. The alleged victim is a 4-year-old child.
Detectives say Placencia has been working with School of Rock for about two years, and they believe he had contact with multiple children during private music lessons. Authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying any possible additional victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Adam Acosta at 936-538-3414.
School of Rock issued the following statement:
"School of Rock has a zero tolerance policy. The safety and security of our students is our principal and continuous concern. In this spirit, we actively encourage our parents and students to report any concern regarding their safety while in our school community.
As a condition of employment, our instructors must:
-- Undergo a mandatory criminal background check via government reporting agencies
-- Pledge in writing to abide by our code of conduct that prevents any inappropriate communication and interaction between teachers and the students
-- Complete a safety training
Our facilities are designed to facilitate visibility into lesson rooms and we proactively implement other safety processes intended to protect our students.
On Thursday, November 3, a parent of one of our students reported to us that her child told her about having been inappropriately touched by a now former instructor. We immediately reported the allegations to the law enforcement authorities.
Because of our zero tolerance policy, we took immediate action in this matter and the instructor is no longer with the School of Rock as of November 3, 2016. This matter has been under investigation by the law enforcement authorities and we have fully supported their investigation, keeping the best interests of the child in mind. While the news media is reporting that an arrest has been made, neither the school nor our corporate team have been contacted by the authorities.
In this case and as part of our protocol, The School of Rock team will continue to monitor this situation closely and cooperate with the authorities. As this is an active Police investigation, this is all of the information we are able to provide to you.
Again, the safety of our students, staff and School of Rock community is our top priority, and we will continue to be vigilant in this mission."