Music Teacher

Brookline, MA: (Feb-13-08) A former Brookline High freshman and her family brought charges against Geoffrey Dana Hicks, alleging that the 20-year-old music teacher sexually exploited the student. Records state that Hicks made headlines in March 2003 when allegations arose that he had been involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with the student when she was a freshman in 1996. Sources said that at the time of the criminal trial in 2004, school officials had said they had not determined Hicks' employment status. But Human Resources Director Stephen Barrasso stated that Hicks was fired on Jun. 12, 2003. Hicks had originally pleaded not guilty to the 2003 charges. In 2004, he changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to 10 years of supervised probation with no employment as a teacher. Hicks' sentence also did not allow him to have unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18, as well as refraining from direct or indirect contact with the student.

As part of a settlement reached in the case, the freshman and her family received a $150,000 settlement to drop the suit against the town after the disgraced music teacher had pleaded guilty to two counts of child rape in 2004. During his two decades in the Brookline schools, Hicks made a name for himself as a popular teacher whose own musical accomplishments included recording albums and performing concerts in the Vatican and the White House. He was also known for his community outreach, volunteering in 2001 to create a jazz choir at Rosie's Place, a Boston shelter for women. [WICKED LOCAL: EXPLOITED STUDENT]

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Published on Feb-17-08