Teacher’s aide pleads not guilty to charge of lewd and lascivious behavior with student

By Brian R. Ballou and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The teacher’s aide, LaShawn Hill, was accused of unzipping his pants and those of the Harbor Pilot Middle School student so he could teach the child about masturbation, according to a Boston police report filed in Dorchester Municipal Court.

One of Hill’s colleagues came upon the scene Monday afternoon, according to the report. When the colleague demanded to know what was happening, Hill told her that he was “showing him [the student] things,’’ the report said.

Hill’s colleague then pulled the student out of the room and reported it to school officials. While they were meeting about his behavior, Hill allegedly walked into the meeting and said “he was trying to explain him about arousal and masturbation.’’

Hill’s seven-year career with the school system is now being reviewed in the wake of the Harbor school allegations and about a separate allegation of inappropriate contact with a student at the King K-8 school last spring.

School Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said Thursday she wants to know if the department should have acted against Hill earlier in his career. She has ordered a review on whether the King principal followed proper protocols in handling the case, which was not reported to state authorities.

Hill, 33, who has been placed on administrative leave from the Harbor School and is facing termination.

He was being held on $10,000 cash bail on the lewd and lascivious charge.

On Thursday, he pleaded not guilty to five counts of larceny, accused of stealing laptop computers from the Harbor School and is being held on $3,500 cash bail in the case.

Mary Hill, a cousin of Hill, was in court today to show support for him. She told reporters that Hill was sexually abused by an older relative when he was between the ages of 7 and 12 years old. The relative who allegedly abused Hill has since died, Mary Hill said.

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.