The principal of KIPP Washington Heights Middle School has been indicted on eight counts, including sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, after Manhattan prosecutors say he abused at least two middle school students over more than a year. Eric Cato was arrested by the NYPD on August 12, and a Manhattan grand jury handed up the indictment in the days that followed, accusing him of preying on children who attended the school during his tenure between October 2024 and March 2026.
According to the indictment, the youngest alleged victim was under 13 years old at the time of the abuse. Cato was also charged with endangering the welfare of a third student, per the indictment. The case was first reported by Gothamist, which noted that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described the alleged conduct as a principal abusing his position to sexually assault middle schoolers entrusted to his care.
Bragg said his office is still investigating the case alongside the NYPD, and he encouraged anyone with information to contact his office. The NYPD has also asked that any additional victims come forward and contact the department. Cato's attorney and school administrators did not immediately return requests for comment, the outlet reported.
A Principal Hired After a Prior Abuse Scandal
Cato was appointed school leader of KIPP Washington Heights Middle School in 2022, taking over after the departure of the prior administration, according to a KIPP NYC accountability report. That leadership change followed a separate scandal: in December 2021, a 39-year-old science teacher at the same school, Cesar Sanchez, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing and grooming a female student over several years, according to the New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog. That case led to the firing of the school's then-principal, Danny Swersky, for failing to properly handle the misconduct, per the same reporting, with background indicating Sanchez had molested the victim beginning in fourth grade and continuing through middle school.
Cato was brought in to lead the campus in the wake of that earlier scandal, a fact that raises questions about what vetting and background screening KIPP NYC conducted before his appointment, and whether internal safety and mandatory reporting protocols were followed during the period prosecutors say the new abuse occurred. Under New York Social Services Law § 413 and Education Law Article 23-B, school principals and administrators are legally designated mandated reporters, required to immediately notify state authorities and law enforcement upon receiving allegations of child abuse in an educational setting.
What Cato Could Face Under State Law
Sexual abuse in the first degree, one of the potential charges tied to conduct involving a child under 13, is a Class D felony under New York Penal Law § 130.65 punishable by up to seven years in state prison when an adult aged 21 or older engages in non-consensual sexual contact with a child under that age, according to legal analysis from Tilem & Associates. Minors cannot legally consent to sexual contact under state law, a distinction that underpins the statute's application to school settings.
This is not the first time the KIPP charter network in New York City has faced allegations of this kind. In August 2021, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged a former Bronx KIPP teacher, Jesus Concepcion, with multiple counts of sexual exploitation, producing child pornography, and enticing middle school students, according to reporting from Schools Matter. Those federal charges carried mandatory minimum sentences of 10 to 15 years.
A Large, Vulnerable Student Body
KIPP Washington Heights Middle School, located at 21 Jumel Place, enrolled 782 students across grades 4 through 8 during the 2024-2025 academic year, with 86 percent identifying as Hispanic, 10 percent as Black, and 93 percent qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, per InsideSchools. The campus shares its building with two traditional public middle schools, M.S. 324 Patria Mirabal and M.S. 319 Maria Teresa, meaning the alleged abuse unfolded within a much larger, co-located educational community.
KIPP NYC operates a large network of charter schools across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, including a new 150,000-square-foot high school campus in the South Bronx that Hoodline covered when it opened earlier this year. Cato's tenure had previously drawn public attention for more routine administrative matters; in November 2022, he ordered the school to temporarily shift to remote learning after a surge in staff COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses left 17 of the school's 54 staff members on leave, according to Chalkbeat, which noted the campus was the only KIPP NYC school forced to go fully virtual during that outbreak.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said it is continuing to build its case alongside the NYPD. Anyone with information has been asked to contact investigators, and the NYPD Sex Crimes hotline can be reached at 212-267-7273.
