Third-grade teacher arrested for child porn Educator suspended; parents notified by automated phone system BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer Athird-grade teacher in the Hazlet school district has been arrested by federal agents for receiving and transmitting child pornography via the Internet. Robert Cholowinski Robert Cholowinski, 46, of Neptune, a teacher at the Middle Road School for 13 years, was arrested by FBI agents in his home Monday morning. According to the complaint, on Sept. 5, FBI agents interviewed Cholowinski at his home. Cholowinski allegedly stated that he had been trading images of child pornography over the Internet for the past few years, and that some images were stored on his home computer. The complaint states that with Cholowinski's consent, agents examined the contents of his desktop computer and found at least three images and videos of child pornography. The images depicted naked prepubescent boys engaged in sexually explicit acts with adult men and other prepubescent boys, according to the complaint. Interim Superintendent of Schools William George immediately released a statement on the school district's Web site about the arrest. "Most importantly, the authorities have advised us that there is no evidence to suggest that this involves any Hazlet students," George wrote. Cholowinski was immediately suspended, George said Monday, but the Board of Education cannot terminate his employment until it follows certain protocol. The board planned to meet Monday night. "We tried to take a really proactive approach and let our community know," George said, explaining that in addition to the public statement, parents were sent messages via the district's new instant notification system. "Phone calls are coming in, and everyone's very appreciative that they heard from us before they heard from the media," George said. Cholowinski's students are 7 and 8 years old, George said. A certified teacher has taken over his class temporarily, he added. "He has one self-contained thirdgrade class," George said. He added, "The students are not being notified." "The Board of Education and administration will be in close contact with the investigators and can assure everyone the safety and well-being of the students is paramount," George wrote in his statement. "The District will obviously be cooperating fully in the investigation." Cholowinski had an initial appearance hearing in Newark before U.S. District Court Magistrate Patty Shwartz on a one-count criminal complaint, which was filed Sept. 7. Judge Shwartz set bail at a $250,000 bond, which was secured by his residence.