BOULDER, Colo. — Accusations of inappropriate contact by a teacher against a student were reported to a principal in the fall of 2021 but the teacher was never put on leave and was returned to the classroom where his inappropriate conduct continued, according to an arrest affidavit from the Boulder Police Department.
Dan Greenberg, a teacher at Manhattan Middle School in the Boulder Valley School District, was put on leave in March when new accusations came to light. He has since been arrested on multiple charges including:
- Sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust
- Child Abuse
- Harassment
John Riggs, the school's former and now-retired principal, faces a charge of suspicion of misdemeanor failure to report suspected child abuse, court records show.
“Obviously, these charges are incredibly concerning for students, families, and community members," said District Attorney Michael Dougherty. "Our Sex Crimes Unit will be following up with any victims and witnesses identified through the investigation conducted by the Boulder Police Department. We encourage anyone with information to contact the Boulder Police Department.”
On March 5, the school's current assistant principal called police to report that Greenberg was accused of inappropriately touching a student. That student reported that she felt uncomfortable because Greenberg had been touching her shoulder and thigh and had given her a nickname, the arrest affidavit says.
The student also told the assistant principal that she heard Greenberg might have touched another student's breast, but at the time, the assistant principal said such an incident had not been reported.
When police contacted Greenberg, he declined to speak with them and only provided a written statement through his attorney. In it, he wrote, "I deny all allegations of inappropriately touching any student," the affidavit says.
Initial reports
Through their investigation, Boulder Police learned that on Dec. 16, 2021, a student reported to Riggs that Greenberg had touched her thigh, shoulder and breast area.
The affidavit says those things happened in class during the fall semester of the 2021-22 school year. According to the document, Riggs did not properly report the incident to police or Child Protective Services as required under mandatory reporting laws.
The student said Greenberg had placed his hand on her thigh "uncomfortably close" to her groin area and said she pushed him away and told him to "stop."
After the incidents, she reported that she began wearing baggy pants and oversized shirts instead of tank tops and skirts. She reported that she ultimately transferred schools and said she felt "re-victimized" by not having her report to Riggs heard.
Police noted there was nothing documented with Human Services or in Greenberg's personnel file.
A different student was called into Riggs' office after a parent contacted the school because her child reported that Greenberg had touched her bra strap.
That student reported that during her conversation with Riggs, he told her, "Don't spread lies, don't smoke rumors," the affidavit says.
When asked how she felt Riggs handled the situation, she said, "I felt kind of dismissed" and went on to say, "I felt like I didn't get heard."
Ultimately she said she was told she could stay in Greenberg's class because no one else was teaching that class, or transfer schools. She reported that she stayed but her mother gave her permission to leave class if she ever felt uncomfortable. She said that she left class in January 2022 and as a result, she was given a week of detention, the affidavit says.
After the incident, she enrolled in an online math class.
Additional victims
Following the report made to police in March of this year, police identified several male and female students who reported that Greenberg inappropriately touched or harassed them in some way.
Several said that he touched and massaged their shoulders, the affidavit says. Others said that he touched their thighs, and one student reported that Greenberg came up behind her and used both hands to flip her skirt upward.
One student reported that Greenberg came up behind her, touched her hair and moved it to one side to expose her neck, and at one point, he placed his hand on her bare knee, the affidavit says.
Greenberg has been on leave since March, according to a message sent from the school district to parents. Riggs retired at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
A spokesperson for Boulder Valley School District said Greenberg has been with the district since 2001 and has taught at Manhattan Middle School since 2019.
From 2014 to 2019, Greenberg worked as a math specialist and instructional specialist in the mathematics department. Before that, he was a teacher at Casey Middle School from 2001 to 2014.
Riggs was hired by the district in 1999 and was the principal at Manhattan from 2013-2022. Before that, he worked as a teacher at Platt Middle School from 1999 to 2010 before he became assistant principal at Broomfield Heights Middle School.
The message said the current school administration and the school district have cooperated fully with the Boulder Police Department's investigation.