Friendship School Assistant Director Disagrees On Nature Of Relationship

The nature of the relationship between the assistant director of the Friendship School in Waterford and a former student at East Lyme Middle School is a point of contention in criminal charges against the school official.

Allison M. Robinson, 35, of 10 Whittlesey Street in New London, made her first appearance in the on Tuesday. Robinson is charged with second-degree sexual assault related to her time as a school psychologist at the East Lyme Middle School between September of 2000 and June of 2001. She is accused of having a sexual relationship with a boy who was 14 or 15 years old at the time.

According to a report by Detective Joseph Masson of the Connecticut State Police, the man made the accusations through his attorney, who reported them to the East Lyme Police Department. The man is current incarcerated at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Uncasville on unrelated charges.

The man told police that he was part of an anger management group with Robinson, then known as Allison Hitte, and that he began flirting with her. He said he had sex with Robinson in her office, at the Niantic house she shared with another teacher, and in two state parks. He said Robinson also bought alcohol and nitrous oxide for him and his friends and let him drive her car.

The man’s brother and several former classmates said he told them he was in a sexual relationship with Robinson. Two friends said they were in Robinson’s vehicle on one occasion where Robinson performed oral sex on the juvenile while he was driving. One woman said she hired Robinson as to look after her daughter and house while she was away and found signs of a party when she returned. The women’s daughter told police that Robinson had sex with the juvenile during the party. Robinson’s former housemate said students knew where they lived and that Robinson would tutor them at the residence.

In interviews with police, Robinson said the student made inappropriate advances toward her. She said she did not document these incidents, but advised the school’s assistant principal, Paul Freeman, about them. Robinson said she did give the student rides in her car when he missed the bus, let him drive the car once, and bought alcohol for him on one occasion. She said she took these actions because she felt threatened by him.

Robinson denied having a sexual relationship with the student, but did tell police that he sexually assaulted her in Giants Neck Park in the summer of 2001. She said the juvenile threatened to say they were having sex if she did not do what she told them. She also advised that police contact Dave Costa, a guidance counselor at the school, and Steve Buck, the school’s former assistant principal, to see if they remembered her reporting the incidents.

Buck said he did not recall Robinson reporting trouble with any student, but that he felt any female employee could have found the student intimidating. Costa said he remembered the student due to his personality and did not remember Robinson reporting any problems. Masson’s report states that a psychological evaluation of the student conducted by Robinson in March lists three testing dates and does not mention threatening or inappropriate behavior.

Freeman and Jerome Belair, a former principal at the school, also remembered the student but not any reported problems from Robinson. Freeman said any such problems should have been documented and action would have been taken to change counseling.

Robinson is a certified school psychologist and a certified intermediate instructor. She resigned from East Lyme Middle School in June of 2001 to take a similar position in the Groton public school system.

At her court appearance before Judge Kevin McMahon, defense attorney Norm Pattis introduced a sealed protective order. Robinson will make her next court appearance in the on May 2.

Robinson had no comment upon leaving the court, but Pattis gave a brief statement.

“We’re looking forward to addressing these charges. They’re old; they’re ancient,” he said. “The so-called victim will have a day of reckoning in open court.”

Robinson turned herself in to the Connecticut State Police on Friday. She has been placed on administrative leave at the Friendship School pending the outcome of the case.