Needham teacher charged for allegedly possessing, distributing child sex abuse material

A Needham middle school teacher is facing charges for allegedly possessing and distributing child sex abuse material, the Middlesex District Attorney’s office announced Friday. 

On Thursday night, officers executing a search warrant arrested Michael R. Ciccolella, 47, at his home on Spyglass Hill in Ashland. The arrest followed a month-long investigation that alleges that Ciccolella viewed and distributed sexually explicit images of nude minors ranging from ages 3 to 12 years old using the online messaging apps Media Lab/Kik, according to the DA’s office.

Ciccolella was arraigned Friday in Framingham District Court where he was ordered to be held on $500,000 bail. He was also ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children under 18, not to use the internet, and to submit to home confinement with a GPS monitoring device, the DA’s office said.

While searching Ciccolella’s residence, authorities seized several pieces of evidence for further analysis, according to authorities. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

According to Needham Superintendent Dan Gutekanst, Ciccolella has been a sixth-grade teacher at High Rock Middle School since 2008. His LinkedIn profile states that he taught history.

Gutekanst said the school immediately placed Ciccolella on leave following his arrest and that no students are believed to have been involved or harmed. School officials also shut down Ciccolella’s access to school buildings, grounds, and digital files.

In a letter released to families Friday, Gutekanst said: “The safety and wellbeing of our students is always the district’s top priority, and we will cooperate with all law enforcement agencies as the investigation continues. Due to the disturbing nature of the charges, we encourage families to speak with their children and reassure them that they are safe at school.” 

Gutekanst also said the school would offer counseling services to students and staff and resources to parents and families to help them support their children at home.