Bridgett Szychulski
A married and visibly pregnant schoolteacher from Northeast Philadelphia is facing child sex charges after a former student told police she molested him repeatedly two years ago when the boy was 14.
Bridgett F. Szychulski, 31, surrendered to authorities in Bucks County on Sept. 16 and was arraigned in Warrington on four criminal charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault. Szychulski, of the 3800 block of Nedla Road in Millbrook, was led to district court in handcuffs that day but later freed on $500,000 unsecured bail.
In a criminal complaint, police reported that the victim claimed he had sex with Szychulski “at least” three times between January and June 2012, twice at the Lenape Middle School in Doylestown and once in Szychulski’s car. The teacher, who most recently was band director at Central Bucks South High School in Warrington, was assigned to Lenape at the time.
“(The victim) played in the bands she supervised and said they both initially connected on a mental level during that time,” the complaint stated.
Soon the two began exchanging text and “picture” messages. The boy claimed that Szychulski texted him photos of her breasts and genital area, according to the court document. The messages led to sexual encounters. One night, the youth snuck away from his New Britain Township home and met Szychulski on a nearby street where they had intercourse in her car, the complaint stated. Later, the teacher performed oral sex on the boy at Lenape in a storage room near the band room and in the teacher’s office, according to the court document.
The alleged trysts ended with the conclusion of the school year in 2012. The victim told police that he texted Szychulski again last July to inform her that he had told a friend about the their relationship. The teacher allegedly replied, “why would you tell him,” “I could lose my job … family … etc,” “don’t know that I want to rehash that ….” and “move on.”
Authorities received a tip about the crimes via Pennsylvania’s ChildLine abuse hotline and interviewed the alleged victim on Sept. 11. In an email to parents, the Central Bucks School District indicated that it learned of the allegations on Sept. 11 and suspended Szychulski from her job the following day. The teacher is banned from all school district property and from having contact with any students. The district court banned her from having contact with any children, except her 4-year-old son.
Szychulski, who also uses her maiden name Gordon according to authorities, is expecting another child. At last week’s court appearance, her attorney, William Goldman, told District Judge Regina Armitage that Szychulski “is in the middle of a complicated pregnancy,” although the attorney later declined to disclose when the baby is due, the Bucks County Courier Times reported.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6 in Doylestown. ••
