A principal at a Fairfax County middle school was charged on Wednesday with allegedly failing to report suspected child sexual abuse by a former teacher, according to police.

Yusef Azimi, principal of Thoreau Middle School in Vienna, was charged on Wednesday in connection to reports of child sexual abuse last October that he allegedly failed to disclose to police and Child Protective Services. Under Maryland law, educators are mandated to notify Child Protective Services or a law enforcement agency when there is suspected child abuse.

Fairfax County Police say Azimi turned himself in and has been released on $3,000 bond.

The charges come from a nearly year-long investigation into a former Fairfax teacher, Matthew Snell, who was charged in October, 2019 with carnal knowledge of a child and taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial relationship.

Snell was first arrested in Texas last October, allegedly attempting to leave the county, according to police. In November, 2019, he faced an additional felony charge of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial relationship.

Azimi was placed on administrative leave in November 2019, according to a statement from assistant superintendent Douglas A. Tyson. In a letter to the Thoreau Middle School community, Tyson writes that officials are “saddened and distressed” by the charges.

“There is no greater responsibility of a school system than the safety and well-being of our students,” reads the statement provided to DCist. “Our teachers and staff are trained in best practices and legal requirements regarding mandated reporting and suspected abuse.”

Azimi marks Fairfax County’s second top school official to be charged with a failure to report child abuse in less than a year. In December, the former principal of Freedom Hill Elementary School was charged with a misdemeanor count for failing to report the suspected abuse of six intellectually disabled students. Three former employees at the school were indicted by a grand jury with 18 total counts in connection to the abuse.