A Brooklyn physical education teacher was arrested and awaiting arraignment Tuesday on charges he inappropriately touched one of his teenage students.

Police say Esran Boothe, 49, is charged with forcible touching and sexual abuse in the third degree.

The city Department of Education says Boothe was re-assigned from his position at the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment on Classon Avenue in Crown Heights and is now on administrative leave.

Police sources tell NY1 a 16-year-old student came forward alleging Boothe grabbed her buttocks while in class on March 14.

The DOE says Boothe had no prior investigations or allegations on file.

He is a tenured teacher who taught at several city schools since 2003 and has been at the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment since 2006.

Most students at the school who spoke with NY1 said they were surprised by the allegation.

"He's a good person. I really think he's a really good person. I didn't believe it," said a student.

Boothe is the eighth teacher or teacher's aide arrested since early February for sexual misconduct with children.

Two of the accused employees had prior substantiated allegations of inappropriate behavior with children, but as there was no prior centralized reporting system, the charges did not follow the employees when they moved to different schools.

Last week, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced a change in policy so that now substantiated allegations will be centrally recorded and passed on when an employee moves throughout the system.

At a meeting in East New York, Brooklyn on Tuesday night, parents and elected officials said they thought the DOE has acted too slowly.

"What about these children who reported this in 2010? Where's their justice?" said a parent.

"This has been going on for years, and they're just paying attention to it because it's in the news," said Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron.

Walcott said he personally reviewed more than 250 DOE employees' records for substantiated allegations dating back to 2000, moving him to fire or re-assign eight more employees.