Ever since old people and Fox News hopped on the sexting train, we thought maybe the art of sexual texting had mercifully started to go out of fashion. But it seems that some teachers just can't enjoy inappropriately flirting with students unless there's some sort of digital trace to later be used against them. For two city teachers and one assistant principal, that was exactly the case recently.
First, there's Rivky Love, a 36-year-old math teacher at Edward R. Murrow HS in Brooklyn, who went through a long administrative trial over her insistent texting to a female student. Love allegedly called the girl her "best friend and sister," and would send her tons of messages late at night, such as, "husband not here...kids asleep...have dinner with me." Another said "Love you," and when the student didn't respond to her texts during winter recess, Love wrote furiously, "I AM SO MAD AT YOU. YOU HATE ME. YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME."
There was also an allegation that Love offered to give the student a copy of an upcoming test, which she said was only a joke. Weeping on the stand, Love admitted improper conduct, but denied any sexual motive; she was suspended for six months without pay.
Then, there's Thomas Coleman, the former assistant principal at University Neighborhood HS in Manhattan, who was accused of sending 112 texts over a three month period to a female student who had just graduated. Those texts included at least four pictures, one of which was allegedly of (presumably his) genitals. Coleman denied the allegations, but was fired.
And lastly, there's Homer Panteloglou, who exchanged nearly 1,800 texts and 318 calls with a female student at the HS of Finance & Economics in Manhattan. He was forced to pay a $7,000 fine, agree to training and was assigned a non-permanent classroom job at Richard Green HS of Teaching in Manhattan.