Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced that a Grand Jury has indicted 54-year-old Catherine Rios of Nyack, NY, for allegedly endangering the welfare of two physically disabled children while employed as a teaching assistant at the Jesse J. Kaplan School in West Nyack.
Rios has been charged with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree (Class E Felony) and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Class A Misdemeanor). The indictment stems from an incident on January 21, 2025, in which Rios, while supervising students in the school pool, allegedly pushed the heads of two non-verbal autistic children, ages 6 and 7, underwater with both of her hands.
The matter was investigated by the Town of Clarkstown Police Department. Rios is scheduled to be arraigned before Judge Kevin Russo in Rockland County Court on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
The case is being prosecuted by Executive Assistant District Attorney Kristin Tirino and Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Reilly.
Authorities emphasize that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.