A teacher at Corona Arts and Sciences Academy in New York City was arrested on Tuesday and charged with raping a 14-year-old male student. The teacher had reportedly posted to Facebook about helping “kids understand consent.”
Melissa Rockensies, the 33-year-old middle school teacher and former dean — who once posted to social media about “helping kids understand consent” — was arrested on Tuesday at around 10:30 a.m. in Queens, police said, according to a report by QNS.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 22: Residents walk past police vehicles as they gather at the scene in Harlem where two New York City police officers were shot last night after responding to a domestic call on January 22, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Authorities added that Rockensies was charged with rape, criminal sexual act, and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17 years old. It remains unclear if the alleged rape transpired on or off campus, New York Post reported.
Incongruously, the middle school teacher reportedly appeared to be running a Facebook page in 2021, which shared a post highlighting how to help “kids understand consent.”
Part of the public service announcement infographic informed adults that it is “not helpful” to declare something like, “Give Nana a hug!” or to continue “tickling after they say stop,” as well as tell kids “to keep secrets (even silly ones),” and “making silly names for private parts.”
A Department of Education spokesperson reportedly said Rockensies was reassigned from the school pending the outcome of her case.
“This alleged behavior is extremely concerning and wholly unacceptable,” the spokesperson told QNS.
The spokesperson added that the Department of Education will move to have the teacher terminated if she is convicted. Rockensies reportedly earned about $85,000 last year.
“This employee has been reassigned away from the school and students pending the outcome of the arrest and if convicted, we will pursue termination,” the spokesperson said. “Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our students.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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