Rothbard resigns in District 13

On April 27, the District 13 Board of Education accepted the resignation of Daniel Rothbard, the teacher found guilty of having sexual relations with at least one underage girl and who still faces other charges.

Rothbard was arrested by Suffolk Police on July 21, 2009, and charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in his car while parked at an elementary school in West Islip. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on April 23 to six months in jail and 10 years probation. An eight-year order of protection for the girl was also issued.

Following his arrest last summer, Nassau County police followed up with their own investigation and charged Rothbard with additional sex crimes. Authorities say he engaged in oral sex with a 13-year-old girl at his Merrick home two weeks before his arrest in Suffolk. His case in Nassau in still pending.

In both cases, he met the girls on MySpace, posing as a younger man, authorities say.

Rothbard, then 28, was employed as a math teacher at Willow Road School. He had worked in District 13 for four years. None of the girls involved were students.

The district has had a substitute in the position since the beginning of the school year. Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison said they could not hire a replacement because Rothbard had not yet resigned.

Lison said she will now look to find a permanent replacement for the Willow Road math teacher position.