Waterbury Teacher Accused of Leaving Children Home Alone for Two Days

According to police, two children under the age of 12 were allegedly left home alone for two days and nights by Watertown resident Kerry Lyn Caviasca, a teacher in the Waterbury Public School district.

Police say Caviasca was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of reckless endangerment in the second degree. Caviasca was released on a $5,000 bond and will appear in Waterbury Superior Court on January 25. Waterbury Public Schools recently released a statement saying:

Waterbury Public Schools has been informed of a pending allegation regarding a Waterbury Public School staff member. The alleged actions do not represent the values of our district. The teacher has been placed on leave while the District conducts an investigation.

The WFSB Eyewitness news team went by the Caviasca's home in Watertown but found no one at home. However, WFSB received a confirmation from Waterbury Schools that Caviasca is a Waterbury School employee and is a social studies teacher at Westside Middle School.

Get our free mobile app

The National SAFEKIDS Campaign recommends that no child under 12 be left home alone. The following statement is from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families:

There is no set age, either prescribed by law or by child development experts.  It comes down to a judgment call on the part of parents.

On that same website, DCF also lists six guidelines to help you decide if your child can take care of himself, which you can find at portal.ct.gov/DCF.