A staff member at Orangewood Elementary School in Phoenix has been placed on administrative leave just days after a man was arrested for sexually assaulting a child there.

Police say Abel Kai Gblah snuck onto the campus on Wednesday, Nov. 19, lured a student into a classroom and sexually assaulted her.

Initial reports alleged he followed a student into the building who had been buzzed in at the main entrance. Now the district says he entered through the interior lobby door, which was unlocked, and walked in with a student who was tardy. As part of the investigation, a staff member has been put on leave.

The district also said the suspect is a former student who attended Orangewood from 2012 to 2015. Gblah has two convictions from 2021 for sexual conduct with a minor and was still on probation for those, according to prosecutors.

In the latest statement Principal Emily Paterson said:

We understand how alarming this situation has been and want you to know that we are reviewing every aspect of our safety procedures and communication to ensure that an event like this does not happen again. Some of the immediate steps we have begun include:

Reinforcing procedures for greeting guests and ensuring all visitors sign in;

Ensuring staff ID badges are worn and clearly visible;

Reviewing protocols for securing the lobby;

Retraining staff on interior security, including locking all classrooms.

In addition, a member of the District Security Team will be on campus for the remainder of the year, and we are applying for a School Safety Grant to secure a School Resource Officer.

At the district level, our leadership and crisis teams are conducting an extensive debrief. All district staff will participate in refresher training on school safety during our districtwide professional development day. The WESD security team will also be researching improved visitor management systems to implement across all schools.

New details are emerging about a Phoenix man who allegedly walked into an elementary school and sexually assaulted a child this week.

A man is in jail after allegedly going to a Phoenix elementary school and sexually assaulting a child. Officers were called to Orangewood Elementary School Wednesday after an unauthorized man made it onto school grounds.