Parents 'Not Getting Answers' In Bridgewater State Child Rape Investigation
BRIDGEWATER (CBS) – Parents of children who attended a day care at Bridgewater State say they're not getting much information from the school after a student worker there was charged with raping two boys.
Kyle Loughlin, 21, of Wrentham, is being held without bail. He is charged with raping boys, ages four and five, at the Children's Center on campus where he worked as an early childhood education major.
Police are also looking at four new allegations of abuse involving Loughlin.
The initial allegations were made four weeks ago, but parents say they weren't informed until after the police investigation became public on Wednesday.
"I'd like to see them close the center," a mother of one child who attended the Children's Center but did not want to be identified, told WBZ-TV Friday.
Making matters worse, the center's director, Judy Ritacco is accused of covering it up.
Parents heard from the university about this issue at a private meeting Thursday night.
"They tried to handle it like a business meeting, which did not work for us because we wanted answers and they weren't giving us any," the mother said.
Ritacco has been placed on administrative leave and the center has been temporarily shut down.
"The president said that he was just made aware of these events on Wednesday afternoon when the arrest happened, which I found to be ridiculous," the mother told WBZ.
Loughlin worked at the center for a year-and-a-half.
The mother who spoke to WBZ said she's concerned not all parents who used the center during that time have been adequately informed.
She's also struggling with how to talk to her own children when she herself has so few answers.
"The difficult part is about not knowing what to say to my child. Who was affected? When was he there?"
Loughlin also worked at the MetroWest YMCA summer camp in Hopkinton as a counselor for four years.
A YMCA spokeswoman said Friday that Loughlin passed a background check before he was hired.
They have now sent a letter out to all parents.
Loughlin also spent some time at the Pine Hill School in Sherborn, as recently as last month. School officials say he was never with students unsupervised.
WBZ-TV's Susie Steimle contributed to this report. You can follow her on Twitter @SusieWBZ.
