Sandy Carazas-Pinez, 36, Sentenced to Jail After Pleading Guilty to Sexual Misconduct With Special Needs Minor
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK (October 25, 2025) – A New York teacher identified as Sandy Carazas-Pinez was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual crimes.
The former high school teacher was accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old special needs student. Prosecutors claimed that she abused her position as a teacher and coerced a minor into believing they were in a sexual relationship.
The abuse took place from November 2022 to February 2023. Sandy Carazas-Pinez sent text messages that were “sexual in nature.”
She allegedly would arrange to meet the minor at a location near the school. The defendant must also register as a sex offender.
Liability for New York City School Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse remains far too common across schools in New York and the United States. According to neaToday, “there were 14,938 incidents of sexual violence in K–12 schools in 2017 – 2018 compared with 9,649 in 2015 – 2016, representing a 55 percent increase These include incidents of rape or attempted rape and sexual assault.” Schools should take many different actions to protect students from abuse.
- Schools should conduct rigorous background checks on all potential employees.
- Schools should train all staff to recognize the signs that abuse is taking place.
- Schools should thoroughly investigate all instances of misconduct involving teachers.
Schools have a legal obligation to protect students from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm. They must adequately supervise students at all times and enforce all of those rules necessary for their protection. Students with special needs will typically require even more close supervision because they are more vulnerable. If a school fails to properly supervise students who are sexually abused, this could form the basis of a negligence claim. It is important that certain actions are taken after any instance of sexual abuse.
- The abuse should be reported to the police so that they can investigate.
- Medical records related to the abuse should be gathered.
- Victims should consider all of their legal options with an experienced sexual abuse attorney.
Sexual abuse is one of the most harmful experiences that most children will ever go through. Victims are often left with a variety of serious physical and psychological injuries. Unfortunately, schools will almost never accept responsibility if one of their teachers abuses a student. This is why it is so important for victims to seek the guidance of an experienced attorney.
Investigating New York City Sexual Abuse
We at GLK Law were deeply concerned to hear about the actions of Sandy Carazas-Pinez. It is our sincere hope that steps are taken to prevent other incidents like this. Schools across New York should be doing more to protect special needs students from foreseeable sources of harm.
Have you or someone that you care about been the victim of sexual abuse in New York? You may have legal recourse. Our team of New York sexual abuse attorneys is here to support you in any way that we can. We care deeply that victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. You can reach out to us anytime at (516) 908-9792.
