PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A former gym teacher will be sentenced this summer for touching girls inappropriately at a Providence elementary school.

After a four-day trial, a jury found 59-year-old James Duffy guilty of four counts of simple assault and one count of second-degree child molestation, according to the office of R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha.

The incidents happened between 2014 and 2017 while Duffy was teaching physical education at Kizirian Elementary School. The victims, ages 11 and 12 at the time, said Duffy groped them on separate occasions during gym class and lunch periods.

“Every day, parents send their children to school trusting their kids will be well-supervised and well cared for. For these victims and their parents, these crimes have forever impacted their lives,” Neronha said in a news release. “I commend the courage of the victims in this case for their bravery in coming forward.”

The case extended beyond Duffy, since school officials failed to notify the R.I. Department of Children, Youth and Families about the allegations against him. Under state law, it’s required to report suspected or known cases of child abuse within 24 hours of learning about them. Principal Violet LeMar was charged and eventually convicted of a misdemeanor .

Duffy is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.

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