A former teacher at a Montgomery County Christian school is accused of having a sexual relationship with one of his students.
Jason Kavistan, 39, of Philadelphia, was arrested Tuesday and charged with institutional sexual assault, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.
Kavistan was a teacher at Huntingdon Valley Christian Academy (HVCA). Police said the investigation began last February when the principal reported seeing Kavistan alone with one of his students, a teen girl, inside a locked room with the blinds closed.
Kavistan and the teen were both fully clothed and denied that anything inappropriate took place, investigators said. After the girl left the school and moved out of state in the summer however, she then reported she and Kavistan had a sexual relationship, according to police.
The girl told investigators her relationship with Kavistan began during the 2016-2017 school year when she was in 8th grade and that it continued until the summer of 2019. The two often met at Kavistan’s home while his wife and children were away, according to the criminal complaint. The teen also told investigators the two met “at school if we could find a place without cameras,” officials said.
At one point, Kavistan texted the girl’s father, “I feel God is telling me to go to you and ask for forgiveness,” according to police.
A spokesperson for HVCA said Kavistan resigned on Nov. 24, 2019, after teaching at the school for seven years. They also said he didn’t disclose the reasons for his resignation.
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“Our children are our most precious gifts and their safety and welfare are our highest priority,” the spokesperson wrote. “We take reports of abuse seriously, and are cooperating fully with authorities.”
Kavistan’s wife also works at the school though the superintendent told NBC10 the woman didn’t know anything about her husband’s resignation.
A letter was sent to parents. Anyone concerned about their child’s relationship with Kavistan should call Detective Todd Smith at 215-657-4700. You can also contact Pennsylvania Conference education superintendent Jeremy Garlock at 610-374-8331 with any additional concerns.
Kavistan remains in jail on $500,000 cash bail.
The Huntingdon Valley Christian Academy is a private education school and part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pennsylvania Conference. It offers schooling from Pre-kindergarten through 10th grade and is located in the Huntingdon Valley section of Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania.
