Nicholas Ricciardi, a former teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford, pleaded guilty to three counts of Felony Risk of Injury to a Child and one count of Misdemeanor Breach of Peace.
Ricciardi pleaded guilty to these charges on Jan. 30, two weeks after the Department of Children and Families (DCF) reopened a complaint into his behavior and substantiated the claims, despite previously dismissing them, according to records shared with Inside Investigator.
In the first half of the 2024-2025 school year, when Ricciardi was working at Solomon Schechter, a private Jewish day school, multiple parents reported that Ricciardi tickled their children. This inappropriate behavior made their children uncomfortable, they said, but Ricciardi continued to tickle students, even after school officials told him to stop.
School officials submitted an anonymous report to DCF officials, which investigators dismissed because they believed the complaint did not meet the criteria for an investigation.
Instead of disciplining or firing Ricciardi, school leaders wanted to facilitate a one-on-one “restorative justice” meeting between him and one of the victims, who was six years old at the time.
That six-year-old’s mother pulled her out of Solomon Schechter after the school refused to remove the child from Ricciardi’s class. When the girl was enrolled in the public school district in Bristol, her mother told Director of Special Services Amy Martino about what happened at Solomon Schechter. Martino made her own report to DCF, and that triggered an investigation.
Ricciardi was eventually arrested, and when the story broke, a parent at St. Gabriel School in Windsor—where Ricciardi worked before Solomon Schechter—reported a similar series of incidents. She said Ricciardi repeatedly tickled her daughter, even though it made the child uncomfortable.
On Jan. 16, 2026, almost two years after officials at Solomon Schechter submitted an anonymous complaint, DCF revisited the complaint and opened an investigation into Ricciardi.
Ricciardi pleaded guilty to three Class C Felonies for Risk of Injury to a Child and one Class B Misdemeanor for Breach of Peace, according to online judicial records. He also pleaded “not guilty” to two Class B Misdemeanors for Breach of Peace.
“With the guilty plea now entered, we hope this resolution brings some closure to the children and families affected. Our focus remains on supporting our children and hoping they can heal in peace,” One of the parents of a victim said.
Class C Felonies can carry between one and 10 years of prison time, and up to $10,000 in fines.
Reached for comment, Ricciardi’s attorney Robert J.T. Britt, stated: “I reserve all remarks for the court.”
Ricciardi’s sentencing is scheduled for May 7 at 2 p.m.
Was this article helpful?
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
