Who is Marc Schack? Maryland teacher's aide caught masturbating during Zoom call, says 'not intentional'
GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND: A teacher's aide at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Gaithersburg, Maryland was caught masturbating on a Zoom call on February 22. The teacher, Marc Schack, is currently on paid administrative leave after his story went viral. He reportedly learned about the video days after the incident, when the school called him to inform him of his status. "I didn’t do anything intentionally, not malicious. I meant no harm because I didn’t even know I was on the recording," he said in an interview with Fox5.
A 13-second clip of the incident was posted on social media, and it is not clear who uploaded it. Police are investigating the incident. The school's principal has also sent a letter to parents confirming that the staff member was seen on screen in a breakout room 'engaged in inappropriate behavior'.
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Who is Marc Schack?
Schack is a special education educator at Shady Grove Middle School. He has reportedly worked at MCPS for 21 years. At the time of the incident, he was teaching a history class. He also runs Pirate Magic, a business established in 1992 that throws pirate parties for kids. He plays the character of 'Captain Silly Bones'.
Schack has a degree in child psychology from the University of Maryland, where he graduated in 2007. The 43-year-old has been entertaining children since 1992, when he first worked at Once Upon a Birthday. He began his teaching career in 1996, first working with autistic children and those with Downs Syndrome.
According to Schack, he was unaware that the camera was on. "I thought I was logged out when class was over," he told the Bethesda Magazine. He added "I'm not a pervert or anything like that, you know. You gotta believe me on that … I thought I was in the privacy of my own home. I had no clue."
The video of the incident shows Schack gazing at the screen, before getting up and turning around to pleasure himself. School principal Alana Murray has asked students to "take down the content and refrain from sharing with other students."
Ongoing investigation
As soon as the video was posted, Schack was put on administrative leave, with the school saying it had "misplaced his background check file". On February 24, he learned of the video when the district informed him about the investigation. MCPS spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala told Bethesda Beat in a text message that the employee was placed on paid administrative leave while the district investigates. She declined to comment further. Shack's name and information have also been taken down from the school's website.
Officer Rick Goodale, a spokesman for the Montgomery County police also confirmed that the police are investigating the incident, and declined to comment further. Speaking to Fox 5, Schack said that "I meant no harm because I didn’t even know I was on the recording. I’m a good guy, you know."
Fox5 also reported that Schack won't face any charges. According to them, Montgomery County police said, "investigators conferred with the State’s Attorney’s Office and it was determined that the incident did not rise to the level of a criminal offense under Maryland law."
