(The Center Square) – The New York City Department of Education has received multiple recommendations from its watchdog organization to stop allowing teachers to contact students directly after it was found that two teachers had behaved inappropriately with students.
In reports published on its website Monday, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District said the city’s education agency should amend its policy to create barriers between students and teachers to minimize grooming and inappropriate behavior.
The New York City Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment clarifying whether it was changing its position on teacher and student communications.
In one report, the SCI said teacher Daniel Matuk “behaved inappropriately” toward a female student – identified only as Student A – while he was her graphic design teacher at William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens, New York.
The report concluded that “Matuk’s misconduct – which began when Former Student A was only 15 years old, and continued for years – was not only unprofessional but manipulative and predatory.”
“His improper hugs, coupled with his preferential treatment and relentless attention, demonstrated a pattern of grooming,” the SCI report reads. “Moreover, Matuk recognized that his sordid behavior would imperil his position if revealed and, as such, requested secrecy and the use of various mobile applications with secure messaging.”
The other report said teacher Ellen Huynh had an inappropriate relationship with a male student identified as “Student A” at another Queens school called the Civic Leadership Academy. The 18-year-old student and the teacher texted or called over 9,000 times, according to the SCI report.
“In just a two-week period, from September 14, 2022, to September 30, 2022, Student A and Huynh contacted each other 152 times after 9 p.m. and over 200 times during the weekends,” the report reads.
“SCI substantiated that Teacher Ellen Huynh engaged in an improper relationship and inappropriate phone communications with Student A,” the report reads. “Telephone records demonstrated extensive contact between the two, including late nights and weekends, and eyewitness accounts place the two together in several inappropriate situations.”
The SCI recommended firing both teachers and updating the district’s policy on what’s permissible for communication between staff and students.
“The DOE social media policy should be amended so that all DOE personnel or employees of its vendors are prohibited from contacting students using personal cell phone numbers, personal social media accounts, and other associated applications,” both SCI reports said.
The DOE previously said that its hesitancy to change the policy stems from not wanting to reduce connectivity with families that do not have access to traditional forms of communication.
• This story first published at Chalkboard News which, like The Center Square, is published by the Franklin News Foundation