#Prestigious NYC middle school rocked by teacher sex-assault claims

Parents at the prestigious Salk School of Science middle school in Gramercy Park are in an uproar after two former students alleged online that an unnamed teacher there had sexually assaulted them.

The accusations were posted anonymously on Instagram last month, and since then have gone viral among parents at the small, well-ranked school for sixth-through-eighth graders, The Post has learned.

At a school town hall meeting held on Zoom on Thursday — attended by 300 parents — Principal Rhonda Perry faced a barage of angry questions about the teacher they believe is the subject of the accusations, based on the initials one accuser had used online.

Parents demanded that this teacher be yanked from leading in-person classes at the E. 20th Street school, according to multiple sources who were in on the Zoom meeting.

Perry said she could not do so — though she did confirm that “an investigation” into the allegations is ongoing by both the NYPD and the city Department of Education’s Special Commissioner of Investigation.

“We have no credible evidence your child is unsafe,” Perry said, according to parent sources who attended the Zoom meeting.

“We are waiting to hear from the Chancellor’s office about the determination and outcome and once we know that we’ll inform you,” she also told parents, according to the sources.

“Once again we are proceeding with the understanding that the investigation is underway,” the principal added.

“All staffing matters are determined by the DOE,” she said. “In other words, it’s not my decision.”

The lack of action has led some parents to pull their students from classes taught by the accused teacher, whose name is being withheld by The Post because it has not been confirmed by the accusers or by officials.

“The lack of guidance from principal Perry for parents and for students to understand how this situation is being handled makes me very uncomfortable about sending my child to seventh grade,” one astonished parent told The Post.

In the Instagram posts that started the controversy, one student — who did not use a name or indicate a gender — said that two years ago, an unnamed teacher allegedly forced them into oral sex in exchange for a passing grade.

The second accuser said that last year, the same teacher tried to pull down their leggings while offering private “homework help.”

Attempts to reach the teacher who parents believe is the accused Salk faculty member were not immediately successful.

Asked about the investigation, a DOE spokesperson issued this statement:

“Student safety is our top priority, and this deeply disturbing allegation was immediately reported to SCI.

“Due to the anonymous nature of the complaint, there is little known at this time, but we are closely monitoring the investigation and will take swift follow-up action as appropriate.

“We encourage those who have allegations to report them to the appropriate authority.”

There will be additional staff and school safety agents in the school building and in classrooms as in-person classes begin, one administrative source said.