Indian American Teacher Charged with Sex Assault of 11-Year-Old Student

HI INDIA NEWS DESK

JERSEY CITY, NJ -A Jersey City public school teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting one of his students, an 11-year-old girl, authorities said.

Apparao Sunkara, 67, a teacher at Infinity Institute, was arrested at his of Hicksville, New York, home Tuesday afternoon and he is currently being held in Nassau County, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

The victim, now 12, said the assaults occurred at the school in 2019, Suarez said. Sunkara was charged with second-degree sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Suarez said.

“It is incomprehensible that someone responsible for educating children would put them at risk and possibly harm them,” Jersey City district spokeswoman Norma Fernandez said. “This situation is extremely upsetting.”

Anyone with relevant information about Sunkara, who was a middle school science teacher, is encouraged to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 201-915-1234.

Infinity Institute, on Old Bergen Road, includes students from sixth through 12th grade and is part of the Jersey City’s public school system. According to electronic records, Sunkara was hired by the district in 2012 and he currently earns $110,000 annually.

Fernandez said Sunkara was removed from the classroom on Feb. 4, 2020, when the district learned of the alleged sex assaults. The information was reported to the state Division of Families and Children and the county prosecutor’s office.

Fernandez noted that Sunkara has not had any contact with students since that date. He is on paid suspension, but if he is indicted the district would proceed to make the suspension unpaid.