When middle school teacher Leon Dyer was arrested in late July, screenshots and links to news articles quickly began circulating online among Belmont students.
Many students learned of the arrest and charging of their current or former teacher from a text message. Rumors started quickly after.
“When kids saw it, or at least when I saw it, I was with a couple of my friends, and they just started flipping out…It was crazy,” said Jimbo Kenneally, a rising senior at the high school and the class president of the Class of 2027.
Previous Coverage
Dyer faces two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, stemming from a tip received by the Massachusetts State Police in early July. The tip came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives millions of online reports a year. Dyer was arraigned in Cambridge District Court on July 27 and pleaded not guilty.
In the weeks since Dyer’s arrest, parents, students, and educators alike say they have been reeling from the news.
“He was probably the most involved teacher in the school,” Kenneally said. “I feel like he was really close with students as well. When I first found out about it, I just didn’t know what to believe.”
At a public forum Aug. 3, parents expressed concern and shock over the arrest, with some saying they had “lost trust in their gut.” The forum included a panel of 11 community leaders, including school and law enforcement officials.
“I’m really thinking of all the staff at Belmont Middle School,” said parent Kim Goodman. “We love them. We love all of them. Without exception, they’re incredible educators, and I know this must have been just as much of a shock to them as it was to all of us.”
Timeline and Background Checks
According to court documents, images containing CSAM were downloaded onto Dyer’s Google Drive in January. The download prompted a cybertip from Google sent to the NCMEC. After verifying the tip, the NCMEC sent an official report to the Massachusetts State Police on July 10.
State police arrested Dyer on July 25. According to Geiser, the district was not aware of the investigation prior to his arrest.
Belmont Public Schools require new employees to go through the Statewide Automated Fingerprint Identification System (SAFIS), as well as routine Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) checks throughout their tenure. Dyer’s last CORI was in November 2025.
“If someone comes to us without a record, then they’re without a record,” Geiser told The Voice in July. “The only information we have is what is on our side.”
Looking To The Start of The School Year
School is set to resume on Sept. 2. According to Geiser, the district is still in conversations on how it will address Dyer’s arrest with students in the fall.
“[We’re] still in the process in terms of figuring that piece out. We will be thinking about which students are most impacted. It’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all. We’ll be differentiating that among students,” Geiser told The Voice.
In a note sent to parents on Aug. 7, Geiser said the district’s “priority is ensuring that students continue to feel safe, supported, and cared for by the trusted educators who are there for them every day.”
Geiser confirmed the district is looking to hire a full-time educator to fill Dyer’s role, adding that a long-term substitute may be needed depending on the applicant pool.
Dyer played a significant role in organizing activities and extracurricular activities in the middle school, according to school officials and Parent Teacher Organization members. School officials said parents are encouraged to reach out with questions or concerns, and Geiser added that she is looking into recently reported incidents involving Dyer from parents with “the seriousness that they deserve.”
“This has been really jarring and difficult for a lot of students and for staff, family members within the community…as we approach the beginning of the school year, we’ll be providing some language around speaking to students and organizing some support for staff in terms of having the verbiage and the tools,” Middle School Principal Russ Kupperstein said at the forum.
Students are still grappling with the accusations surrounding Dyer, Kenneally said. Though he said he didn’t “really think anyone could have known what [Dyer] was doing,” for many, the arrest brought into question what it means to trust an educator.
“I generally feel safe,” Kenneally said. “I feel like students do, too, but I mean, definitely after this, students may start to question teachers’ actions.”