A staffer at Thomas Edison High School is accused of sexually assaulting two students on separate occasions, police said.
Derrick Burroughs, 40, was arrested and charged yesterday (Tuesday) with two counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of indecent liberties with a child by a custodian, the Fairfax County Police Department announced this morning.
According to the FCPD, Child Protective Services received two referrals late last month alleging that a teacher had inappropriately touched the two students.
Detectives confirmed through their investigation that Burroughs “had sexually assaulted two students on separate occasions,” the FCPD says.
Burroughs, an Alexandria resident, has been employed as an instructional assistant at the Franconia-area school since 2023. He was placed on administrative leave shortly after the allegations were made, police said.
Burroughs, who has been released on a $3,000 bond, is scheduled to be arraigned in Fairfax County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court on Oct. 3, according to online court records.
If he is ultimately convicted, Burroughs could face decades in prison.
In Virginia, aggravated sexual battery is a felony that can be punished with up to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Indecent liberties by a custodian is a Class 6 felony for a first offense and a Class 5 felony for any subsequent ones, which respectively carry potential sentences of up to five and 10 years in prison.
This article initially described Edison High School as a “Rose Hill school” in reference to the neighborhood where it’s located. However, to avoid confusion with Rose Hill Elementary School, the description has been modified.
