School counselor accused of “sexual involvement” with student

A guidance counselor at Nathan Hale Middle School in Norwalk was arrested Thursday for allegedly being “sexually involved” with a male student, Norwalk Police said in a news release.

Luisa Melchionne, 47, of New Canaan, was charged with second-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

According to Public Information Officer Sgt. Ryan Evarts, Norwalk Police received a complaint on April 30 about a Norwalk Public School employee having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

An investigation by the department’s Special Victims Unit determined Melchionne was “sexually involved” with a male student, Evarts said.

An arrest warrant was obtained for Melchionne and she was arrested without incident, Evarts said, adding that Melchionne is no longer employed by the school system.

Melchione’s LinkedIn page says she has been a school counselor in Norwalk Public Schools since August 2002.

Court records show that after appearing for arraignment in state Superior Court in Stamford Thursday, Melchionne was released on $500,000 bond. Melchionne, who is being represented by the Stamford law firm Mark Sherman LLC, is next scheduled to appear in court Sept. 6.

Norwalk Public Schools released a statement Thursday saying, “The safety of our students is our first concern.”

The statement said Melchionne ceased being employed by the school system on June 14 and “Norwalk Public Schools is cooperating with the Norwalk Police Department’s investigation and has no further comment.”

Second-degree sexual assault is a class C felony or, if the victim of the offense is under the age of 16, a class B felony, and carries a mandatory minimum sentence of nine months.

Risk of injury to a minor is a class B felony when the offense entails having sexual contact with a child under the age of 16.

(Updated at 1:58 pm to add information on arraignment and court date.)