HONOLULU -- A judge on Tuesday sentenced a school worker who fondled a student on campus to less than a year in prison.

The 8-year-old victim's mother is outraged at both the judge and the school, which she said ignored the assault against her son.

"He was ashamed. He didn't want to tell anybody about it because somebody had touched his 'privates,'" the mother said.

The man who touched the child was Cary Cantere, 38. He was employed as an hourly adult supervisor at Keaau Elementary School south of Hilo.

The first assault happened in a classroom in November. The second occurred on a playground a week later.

"All he wanted to do was run, run to his brother, but then he was afraid he would do something to his brother," the victim's mother said.

Cantere pleaded guilty to the assaults in a plea agreement that guaranteed probation. Prosecutors asked for one year in prison, but Judge Greg Nakamura sentenced him to 270 days - nine months in prison.

Cantere's lawyer said his client sought treatment and was sincerely sorry.

"And more importantly, the fact that he has taken steps on his own while he was on release to make sure nothing like this would happen again," defense attorney Victor Bakke said.

"I feel that he should have gotten at least five years in prison and at least five years because committed the crime twice against my son," the mother said.

She said the school was little help. She said school officials offered no counseling and never told the school community there had been a sex offender on campus.

"They didn't even really respond at all. It's amazing they didn't even say, 'We're sorry for what had happened,' nobody, nothing," the mother said.

KITV was unable to get any response from the Department of Education. Since the boy's family is suing the state, the DOE not only would not comment on the case specifically, but officials also refused to talk about its policy regarding sex assaults by employees.