Daniel Matuk, a graphic design teacher at William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens, didn’t just cross professional boundaries — he obliterated them. For three years, Matuk allegedly groomed a 15-year-old student, bombarding her with over 700 sexually explicit texts that fixated on her “brown ass” and “little butt,” while degrading her as a “b—h” and “whore” 1. Worse, he weaponized his authority, coercing her into hugs in his empty classroom — a chilling echo of tactics used by predators like Anthony Schiliro and Jorge Luna, who also exploited students under the DOE’s lax oversight 1.

The kicker? Matuk pocketed $112,191 in taxpayer dollars during the 2024 fiscal year — all while the victim, now traumatized and silenced, struggles to heal 1.

Institutional Hypocrisy: NYC DOE’s Decade of Neglect

While the Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI) has begged the DOE since 2019 to ban educators from using personal devices to contact students, the DOE shrugged — until public outrage forced a belated “review” of policies 1. This isn’t oversight; it’s complicity.

• 121 educators since 2018 have faced substantiated abuse claims — including teachers who traded vape oil for kisses, sent midnight FaceTime calls, and harassed students with 9,000 texts 1.
• William Cullen Bryant HS itself is a cesspool of scandals: In 2015, an assistant principal allegedly concealed a student-teacher affair, and the school’s staff directory still lists a “J. Matuk” as a social studies teacher 37.
• The DOE’s “disciplinary process” is a joke: Accused educators like Steven Perez faced no criminal charges despite offering cigarettes to minors and attempting to kiss a 15-year-old 1.

The DOE’s Playbook: Protect Predators, Punish Whistleblowers

Remember Pelagia Papoutsis? The Bryant HS assistant principal accused of a “romantic relationship” with a 17-year-old student in 2015? Principal Namita Dwarka allegedly buried the scandal, while whistleblowers like gym teacher Peter Maliarakis were publicly humiliated — forced to sit at a student desk as punishment 3. This is the DOE’s culture: silence victims, shield abusers.

Taxpayers Fund Trauma: A System Built to Fail Students

While Bryant HS boasts an 87% graduation rate, its priorities are clear: prioritize optics over safety 9. The school’s “Local Support and Improvement” designation under ESSA is a hollow label, masking a legacy of abuse and financial mismanagement 9. Meanwhile, the SCI — tasked with investigating misconduct — is starved of resources, with complaints surging to 10,260 in 2024 while investigations halved since 2015 1.

The Hypocrisy of “Equity”

The DOE loves to preach “Social Emotional Learning” and “student wellness,” yet its own staff weaponize child abuse hotlines to terrorize Black and Hispanic families. 67% of teacher-initiated abuse reports are unfounded, devastating thousands with PTSD-inducing investigations 10. Shalonda Curtis-Hackett, a Brooklyn mom, lost 20 pounds during a baseless probe — all while Matuk and his ilk collect six-figure salaries 10.

Demand Accountability — Not More Empty Promises

The DOE’s “updated policy in development” is too little, too late. Why wait for another 121 victims?

• Ban private educator-student communications — no exceptions.
• Defund schools that protect predators — redirect funds to survivor support.
• Prosecute enablers like Principal Dwarka, who prioritized power over pupils.

Enough is enough. The rot runs deep, and until taxpayers demand accountability, NYC’s students will remain prey to a system that values salaries over safety.