NYC district removes teacher after investigation into inappropriate sexual conduct inside classroom

A teacher from a New York City school has been removed after an investigation found he had “engaged in conduct ‘consistent with masturbation’ inside a school classroom,” according to amNY.com.

The Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District (SCI) launched the inquiry concerning Zhengxian “Remy” Li, who had been teaching at the Restoration Academy middle school in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

“Investigators said Li had completed a language department presentation and, while someone else was speaking, stood up from his desk, exposing his buttocks and genital area to others in the meeting,” the news outlet wrote of the virtual parent-teacher conference, which had been recorded.

“Approximately three weeks later, SCI investigators said it received a second complaint alleging that Li was seen inside his classroom with his sweatpants pulled down and his hand inside his pants, moving in a manner consistent with masturbation while on school property.”

The city’s Department of Education confirmed Li had been removed from his teaching assignment.

“We have zero tolerance for conduct that violates the trust placed in our educators. Upon learning of these allegations, the employee was immediately reassigned away from students, and is no longer employed by New York City Public Schools,” said a department spokesperson. “We remain committed to maintaining safe, respectful learning environments for every member of our school communities and take all allegations of employee misconduct seriously.”

Last month, another of the city’s former public-school teachers “was found to have engaged in sexual misconduct and inappropriate communications with a student between 2014 and 2016,” according to the news outlet.

“In this case, the teacher was ‘removed away from students,’ according to the DOE, and no longer employed by NYC Public Schools.”

‘School is supposed to be a safe haven’

Safety concerns ranked among the leading reasons for parents withdrawing their children from the city’s public schools, a government survey concluded last year.

While 41% of respondents cited a “more rigorous education” for their motivation and 40% listed a move out of the city, the third reason – believing their students were “not safe” in their previous school – came to 25%.

“Most former respondents who moved out of NYC altogether named finding a better environment to raise kids as the primary reason, but concerns about schools were cited as frequently as housing concerns,” analysts noted.

One former NYC resident described school metal detectors as “a complete red flag” for her decision to withdraw.

“I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to put my children through this,’” she said. “My children are so happy now. They’re like, ‘Mom, we don’t go through metal detectors. Mom, there’s no fights like that.’ Because school is supposed to be a safe haven.”