Weymouth school employee accused of sex with 15-year-old son of friend

WEYMOUTH, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – A Weymouth school employee was arraigned on four counts of statutory rape in connection with the sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy.

Janelle Foley, 36, a food service worker at Chapman Middle School, appeared in Quincy District Court Thursday morning.

Prosecutors said Foley had sex with the 15-year-old the weekend before Thanksgiving and on New Year's Eve. They also said Foley sent explicit photos of herself to the boy. They said the boy was the son of one of Foley's friends she has known since high school.

Foley's attorney said she has struggled with depression and a drug problem and has no prior record.

"There's obviously going to be issues that we're looking into regarding mental health, depression, substances," he said.

School officials said Foley has worked at the school since 2011. They said the incident did not take place on school grounds. Foley has been placed on administrative leave.

The Weymouth School Superintendent releasing a statement. It says in part:

"We received information about an alleged and serious incident involving a staff member that took place outside of school. Based on this report, we have placed this staff member on administrative leave.  We are taking this matter very seriously and working closely with authorities."

In addition to working at the school, Foley was licensed as a registered aesthetician in Massachusetts, with her latest license expiring in November. She got her training from the Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics in Woburn.

Foley has four children from age seven to 15.

She was released at posting $5,000 cash bail. Foley is required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet and must stay away from children under 18 except for her own. She will appear in court again on Feb. 4.

Cox Media Group