FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. – A Fairfax County Public Schools teaching assistant appeared in court Tuesday accused of masturbating in a classroom.

On Friday, October 11, David Scalea was in a classroom at Langley High School when he reportedly began touching himself inappropriately behind a desk.

A student saw him and reported it to school administrators, who then notified the school resource officer.

Scalea was arrested and charged with obscene sexual exposure and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, both misdemeanors. FCPS suspended Scalea without pay.

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This is the second Langley High School employee arrested in recent months.

Back in August, a football coach and teacher was arrested on five counts of sexual harassment of a minor.

According to police, David Clay Murray, 48, began communicating through a cell phone messaging app with a Frederick County detective posing as a 15-year-old girl. Murray is said to have continued to encourage “numerous sexual acts”.

Murray’s lawyer said his client thought it was an adult who said it was a “role play.”

David Clay Murray (Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office)

FOX 5 spoke with a handful of parents about the recent school pickup incidents and got different perspectives.

Some stressed that there was no connection between the incidents involving the two teachers, while others questioned whether the background checks were rigorous enough. Some felt the school handled it appropriately, but others wanted more information.

One parent said she knows this is a difficult situation for the school, but at the same time questions the district’s background check policies.

“I can imagine it must be hard for Langley to deal with that. We love Langley so much, we love the school, but we need to make sure our children are protected and there has to be something that should be addressed,” said mother Lisa Durant.

Fairfax County Schools tells FOX 5 it conducts multiple background checks on new employees and last year announced new measures for ongoing screening of all employees.

Scalea has been a teaching assistant with Fairfax County Public Schools since 2020. FOX 5 has learned the district conducted a federal and state background check on him last November.

The letter sent home from the principal said: “Safety is the top priority.”