A New York City teacher accused of engaging in sexual activity with a student has been dismissed by officials but continues to teach at a charter school in the Bronx.
The Department of Education fired Dulaina Almonte from her position at Harry S. Truman High School in 2020 after an investigation into her interactions with teenagers.
Almonte is alleged to have sent over 28,000 text messages to a 17-year-old female student and nearly 2,000 texts to a 12th grade male student.
The NYPD also looked into a claim that she was involved in a sex act with a former pupil in a classroom, but Almonte denies these accusations.
The investigation revealed that she had been communicating with students online during weekends through encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat, with some teenagers visiting her home multiple times.
Critics highlight the ongoing threat of electronic sexual grooming by educators in NYC public schools, despite warnings to the Department of Education to prohibit student-teacher cell phone contact.
Grooming, as defined by the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), is a common tactic used by abusers to gain a victim’s trust and desensitize them to inappropriate behavior.
It is important for parents to be vigilant and recognize signs of grooming in their teens’ relationships with adults. Multiple New York City teachers have faced allegations of inappropriate behavior toward students in recent years.
