'Can't Touch Me': US Teacher, Who Sent Over 20,000 'Late-Night Texts' To A Schoolgirl, Continues To Teach

A New York high school teacher, who was earlier dismissed by the US Education Department, defiantly remains in the classroom, boasting “the city can’t touch me” despite sexual misconduct allegations. Dulaina Almonte, 33, ousted from New York’s Harry S. Truman High School in 2020, now teaches at a Bronx charter school.

Despite claims of inappropriate behaviour, Almonte told the New York Post “I can’t be guilty if I’m still a teacher.” “It’s not a crime, but still got fired, which is honestly why the DOE can suck a big pr–k,” she continued. “Still a teacher! Can’t touch me!” she said. “Still a teacher working elsewhere. Like, you really can’t f–king touch me.” Legal loopholes obscure her past from potential employers, including allegations that she sent over 20,000 late-night texts to a schoolgirl.

The Almonte saga is a glaring example of the challenges facing the education system in New York City, The Post reported. In 2022, a disciplinary report from the city’s Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI) found her “excessive contact and behaviour with the students demonstrates that she has no place in the New York City Schools.” Almonte’s phone records revealed how she sent a 17-year-old female student 28,075 late-night texts over 14 months and traded nearly 1,900 texts with a male 12th-grader.

The New York Police also probed claims that she and a former pupil were “involved in a sex act” in a classroom. However, Almonte denied the accusation, and no arrest was made. Despite being fired by the US Education Department over sexually charged allegations, Almonte is continuing her teaching career in defiance of the system’s attempts to remove her.

Despite the substantiated claims of misconduct, Almonte has found well-paying employment at a Bronx charter school, where she continues to teach Spanish. Critics have pointed to the shortcomings of the city’s disciplinary process, which allows educators like Almonte to slip through the cracks and continue working despite grave allegations. The situation is further complicated by legal loopholes that obscure teachers’ past misconduct from potential employers.