SCRANTON, Pa. — A former paraprofessional at Valley View High School was in court Monday after being charged for taking a video of a student with special needs using the bathroom in the school.
Cala Tolerico had two preliminary hearings in front of a magisterial district judge—one for her misconduct at the school and the other for two incidents at her ex-boyfriend's house.
Tolerico was charged at the Lackawanna County Criminal Justice Center.
The first hearing was for charges alleging she recorded video of a student with special needs while the child was using the bathroom. That happened in February at Valley View High School in Archbald.
Officials say Tolerico, a paraprofessional at the school, recorded the student and posted the video on social media.
Tolerico told school officials she sent the video as a joke.
She is no longer employed with the school district.
She waived that hearing and the case will move on.
Tolerico was also in court facing criminal mischief charges for allegedly vandalizing her ex-boyfriend's truck in January.
According to court papers, Tolerico showed up just after 7 a.m. on January 18 at Derek Lukens' home in Vandling looking for her son's shoe. The couple share two children together.
In court, Lukens' current girlfriend Mary Hall said she believed Tolerico keyed Lukens' truck that morning. Hall called 911, but Tolerico left before police arrived.
The police report also says officers responded a second time to the home just hours later, when Tolerico was banging on the door of the home and making threats to the couple.
A judge ruled that the criminal mischief charges would also move forward through the courts.
Tolerico's next court date has not yet been scheduled.
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