A New York City teacher accused of sexual activity with a student remains in the classroom even after officials fired her.
Following an investigation into her behavior with teenagers, the Department of Education fired 33-year-old Dulaina Almonte from her job at Harry S. Truman High School in 2020, the New York Post reported Saturday:
However, she is now teaching at a charter school in the Bronx and told the Post it is not possible she is guilty of the accusations because she is still an educator.
“Still a teacher! Can’t touch me! Still a teacher working elsewhere. Like, you really can’t f–king touch me,” she stated.
Almonte is accused of sending a 17-year-old female student more than 28,000 text messages in a 14-month period, while also sending nearly 2,000 texts to a 12th grade male student.
“The NYPD also investigated a Truman HS student’s claim that she and a former pupil were ‘involved in a sex act’ in a classroom, according to a police report,” the outlet said. However, the woman has denied the allegations.
Officials launched an investigation into the incident and reportedly found the teacher had been talking with students online over the weekends. Among the findings were she had allegedly engaged with them via encrypted WhatsApp and Snapchat calls and that teenagers also visited her home several times.
Additionally, the Post reported Saturday that “electronic sexual grooming by educators is an ongoing threat to students in NYC public schools — despite dozens of pleas from school investigators for DOE [Department of Education] to stop student-teacher cell-phone contact, experts told The Post.”
According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) website, grooming is a common tool abusers use.
“Grooming can take place online or in-person. It’s usually employed by a family member or someone else in the victim’s circle of trust, such as a coach, teacher, youth group leader or others who naturally have some interaction with the victim,” the site read.
The site noted that a pattern of grooming may include victim selection, gaining access before isolating the victim, the development of trust, secret-keeping, and desensitizing the victim to touch, along with conversations about sexual topics.
“For teens, who may be closer in age to the abuser, it can be particularly hard to recognize tactics used in grooming. Be alert for signs that your teen has a relationship with an adult that includes secrecy, undue influence or control, or pushes personal boundaries,” the website said.
In 2022, multiple New York City teachers were accused of inappropriate behavior toward students.
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