No less than six academics not too long ago busted for inappropriate communications and relationships with metropolis college students are nonetheless licensed to show within the state, together with two who moved on to work in Lengthy Island school rooms, The Put up has realized.
Experiences by town’s Particular Commissioner of Investigation cite not less than 121 substantiated instances of NYC educators and different faculty staffers partaking in improper communications with youngsters since 2018.
The watchdog sends its stories to the state Schooling Division in addition to the NYC colleges chancellor. Many accused offenders resigned or had been terminated by town and now not have energetic licenses. Others have continued to show, information present.
One among them, Anthony Schiliro, despatched three Eleanor Roosevelt HS college students “excessive” late-night texts and joked about one having intercourse in entrance of the opposite two, the SCI discovered.
Schiliro resigned because of the alleged misconduct, and had a “problem code” stamped on his file. That crimson flag can forestall him from additional work within the metropolis Division of Schooling, however different districts or colleges don’t have entry to it except they ask the DOE for a background test, mentioned Betsy Combier, an professional on instructor self-discipline.
Schiliro was employed as a everlasting special-ed substitute instructor for greater than a month in fall 2024, making $245 per day, in response to Lengthy Seaside Public College information.
Superintendent Jennifer Gallagher advised The Put up the district was not conscious of the SCI findings once they employed Schiliro, and that he now not works for the district. She wouldn’t give additional particulars.
One other, Curtis Haywood, allegedly used WhatsApp to ask certainly one of his college students from the Theatre Arts Manufacturing Firm College within the Bronx creepy questions on their relationship, generally leaving her in tears.
Haywood went on to show in at two completely different Lengthy Island districts, Uniondale after which Hempstead, making $84,379 from the latter district final 12 months.
The districts didn’t reply to inquiries from The Put up.
Dulaina Almonte was fired from Harry S. Truman Excessive College for texting a scholar 28,000 instances, The Put up reported in Might. However after the DOE terminated her, she landed a job at AECI 2: NYC Constitution Excessive College for Engineering and Innovation. The college beforehand advised The Put up they weren’t conscious of the allegations when Almonte was employed. She was fired after the data got here to mild.
4 different academics — Daniel Matuk, Jorge Luna, Ellen Huynh and Andrei Hargobind — nonetheless have energetic state licenses, information present. The SCI had known as for the 4 to be fired and repeatedly really useful — 55 instances since 2019 — that the DOE prohibit workers from utilizing private numbers and accounts to contact college students.
Matuk allegedly despatched certainly one of his 15-year-old graphic-design college students at William Cullen Bryant Excessive College in Queens greater than 700 messages, the SCI discovered, writing about her “brown ass” and “little butt” and calling her a “b—h” and “whore.”
Luna allegedly FaceTimed a Bronx Middle for Science and Arithmetic scholar at midnight on her birthday, and commented on her Instagram web page that she had “sexy legs” in a photograph and “should have opened” them.
Huynh, a instructor on the Civic Management Academy in Queens, exchanged greater than 9,000 texts with a male scholar between 2022 and 2023, together with a whole lot after 9 pm and on weekends, investigators discovered.
Hargobind left town DOE in 2023 as a part of a settlement banning him from future employment with the division, but nonetheless has an energetic instructing license, information present. He allegedly touched a 15-year-old scholar inappropriately and, when she was 18, uncovered himself “entirely nude” on FaceTime, SCI discovered.
The state should step in and droop instructing licenses sooner following sexual misconduct instances, mentioned the Coalition for Simply and Compassionate Compensation, an advocacy group that represents survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The present common time it takes to droop a license is three years, the group mentioned.
It’s calling on the state Board of Regents to approve proposals to fast-track license suspensions and have educators briefly eliminated pending a listening to. A 60-day public remark interval is underneath method for the proposals, which may very well be adopted in Might.
Officers within the state Division of Schooling wouldn’t clarify why the academics cited by SCI are nonetheless licensed, saying the company doesn’t touch upon doable investigations.
