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Palm Beach County School District superintendent assures students are safe amidst two investigations

Posted at 11:34 PM, Apr 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-20 05:52:14-04

Palm Beach County School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa confirms there is no indication that an allegation against Palm Beach Garden High School's athletic director is tied to the school.

A police report released Wednesday by the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department reveals a camera found by a child off campus may have led to the investigation into William Weed.

The heavily redacted report said the child believed the camera may have been placed a year ago. What led to the child finding the camera or where it was located is still unclear.

No charges have been filed against Weed. The school district reassigned him and it was informed of the investigation into an allegation. Detectives seized a laundry list of electronic devices from Weed's home in February. A search warrant states they are looking for videos and images depicting sexual conduct involving a minor.

"It's something that we're worried about, but as soon as we heard there was a potential issue we removed the individual from the school to protect our interests, which are our students," said Avossa.

In March, the FBI issued an arrest warrant for former Palm Beach Gardens teacher Corey Perry on federal child pornography charges. Perry fled the state and agents tracked him down in Nashville, Tenn.

On Friday, when agents tried to talk to Perry at hotel in east Nashville, they said he shot and killed himself before they could speak with him.

"This is a tragic issue through and through. Nobody ever wanted something like this to happen to Mr. Perry. The reality is we’re left now with the aftermath," added Avossa.

FBI agents said Perry acted on his own in the production and receipt of child pornography. They say there are numerous victims.

"We've continued to make counseling available to our children our students and people are coming forward so we’re going to keep pushing them to the FBI," said Avossa.

Avossa assures parents that all employees are thoroughly vetted in the hiring process, but he wants parents to stay vigilant too.

"We got to make sure our parents are looking at those telephones just like our parents used to look in our backpacks," added Avossa.