by Laura Glesby
School administrators placed a Hillhouse assistant principal on leave four days after a student came forward with allegations that he sexually assaulted her at school.
The high school student told two staff members on May 22, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, that Assistant Principal Daniel Bonet sexually assaulted her. Bonet was arrested on the charges this week.
The staff members each reported the allegation to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) that same May 22 afternoon, keeping the school’s principal in the loop.
The next school day — four days later, on Tuesday, May 26 — Bonet returned to Hillhouse as though it were an ordinary morning.
Principal Antoine Billy was absent at the start of the day. So when the school received a threatening phone call, Bonet filled in for Billy — calling for a lockdown over the loudspeaker and sending periodic updates to staff via email.
The student was upset to hear Bonet’s voice and left in the middle of the school day, according to a staff member whose interview with police was recorded in a warrant for Bonet’s arrest.
“There was confusion and stress for many people in Hillhouse that morning when that lockdown was called by Daniel Bonet,” said New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) President Leslie Blatteau.
It was only later that day — on Tuesday, May 26 — when school administrators decided to place Bonet on administrative leave.
This timeline conflicts with a letter that Billy sent to Hillhouse staff months later on Tuesday, Sept. 15, which stated, “The alleged behavior was reported by the student; the administrator was immediately placed on leave in accordance with NHPS [New Haven Public Schools] protocols.”
On Tuesday, Bonet’s lawyer, Don Cretella, wrote in an email, “I just received a copy of the warrant and have not had a chance to thoroughly review it. Once I do, Mr. Bonet and and I will begin his defense.”
Asked again for a comment on Wednesday, Cretella wrote, “It’s too early to comment on anything other than what I’ve said before.”
Daniel Bonet turned himself in for arrest on Monday, Sept. 14. Credit: Christopher Peak FIle Photo
Bonet had been transferred to the assistant principal role at Hillhouse in 2019, following allegations of staff harassment and non-compliance with DCF reporting mandates at his former role as principal of John C. Daniels School. Bonet denied those allegations.
He was also filling in as principal at Wexler-Grant School, according to Blatteau.
After May 26, Bonet was on leave for months as DCF and the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) investigated the student’s report. The NHPD obtained a warrant for Bonet’s arrest on Monday, and Bonet turned himself in that same day, facing two counts of sexual assault in the second degree and two counts of sexual assault in the fourth degree.
State court records show that he has been released on a $250,000 bond, and that he has not yet entered pleas to those charges.
Why Did Bonet Return To School?
When asked about the reason Bonet was not suspended until four days after the student’s report, NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon initially cited the long weekend and said, “Whatever people thought was happening was not nearly as severe as what surfaced during the investigation. What we knew on Tuesday is very different from what we knew on Friday.”
A police warrant affidavit unsealed that night would contradict Harmon’s comment.
When asked about those details in the warrant, Harmon said of his previous statement, “I thought it was accurate and clearly I was wrong. I’m still not sure where the wrong information came from but we’re gonna find that out.”
Initially, Harmon had said that Principal Billy “didn’t understand how serious this was” as of Friday, “and so whoever he may have reached out to probably didn’t understand it either. He was aware that something was inappropriate, not sexual assault.”
The police warrant affidavit suggests otherwise. The two staff members who reported the student’s account told police that she reported an alleged assault to both Billy and DCF on Friday, May 22.
Harmon said that he is meeting with administrators to “look at how we communicate around instances of this kind.”
Billy, meanwhile, referred questions about why it took four days for the school district to place Bonet on leave to Harmon.
He told the Independent that on May 22, the student’s report “came across my desk.” He recalled, “I directed my staff to do directly what was done, to alert DCF. That’s exactly what we did.”
Asked whether he informed administrators at the district level about the allegation, Billy said, “The district was made aware by DCF. I also let the district know. The district has to wait for DCF to do their thing.”