DUXBURY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A longtime Duxbury gym teacher has been fired after facing allegations of sexual assault. Duxbury Superintendent John Antonucci made the announcement on Tuesday night at a Duxbury School Committee meeting. Blake was terminated on April 1.
The teacher, John Blake, stands accused of repeatedly assaulting, then raping Duxbury Middle School student Joseph Parker Foley in 2006.
Parker Foley died last fall of a drug overdose. His parents first brought the allegations anonymously in 2018, but the school district said they couldn't corroborate the accusations, and allowed Blake to return to teaching.
Foley's parents say the alleged abuse against their son led him to a life of drug abuse to escape the pain.
After Foley's death in the fall, Foley's parents reported the alleged assaults to the Plymouth County District Attorney. Duxbury Police investigated, and said they could not move forward with the case because Foley, the alleged victim, had died. Foley's parents have since sued the district and Blake.
The school district says the police were "not able to find direct evidence of sexual abuse." Duxbury Police clarified that "direct evidence" of sexual abuse would require a living victim.
Duxbury Schools also hired an external investigator, and said based on the findings they had leave to fire Foley because he had violated district policy. The district said the investigator also couldn't find any "direct evidence" of sexual abuse.
The district said the Duxbury Police Department had received more than a dozen anonymous tips related to the case, but that none of them were legally actionable.
Blake has responded to the allegations, telling WBZ-TV that "I completely deny all the allegations that have been brought forth. For the past 25 years I have proudly taught and coached thousands upon thousands of students."
WBZ's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports:
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel
(Photo: Getty Images)