Who is Heidi Prytherch? NYC teacher who let nude pics get into hands of students sacked
BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: Sexy nude pictures of a Bronx teacher, 26, made it into the hands of her students after the teacher left their laptop in the classroom, investigators have revealed.
Heidi Prytherch, 26, was probed after one student at Jill Chaifetz Transfer High School in Longwood allegedly boasted about having sex with the teacher at least three times in their apartment, on weekends and once after a school trip, says a report by the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools. Many students revealed that they knew about Prytherch's sexual relationship with two children, stating that Prytherch “colonized” the student. Another one claimed that he saw the pair sitting together in the school auditorium with Prytherch putting their leg on top of the student’s knee and resting their head on his shoulder. Prytherch, who taught English, worked in the classroom for less than seven months.
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We have reported some similar cases of teachers being arrested for sex crimes in the past. Christina Sosbe, Kimberly Wellman-Rich, Amelia Ressler and Rick Watkins were arrested for allegedly having sexual relationships with their students.
The student who earlier boasted about having sex with Prytherch changed his story several times. Not just that, he also denied that he had sex with her but later said that he lied because he didn’t want to get the teacher in trouble. Prytherch informed the schools that they were nonbinary and preferred the pronouns ‘they’ and ‘their’. Prytherch has denied these allegations but confirmed that they had flirted with him and failed to report that the student confessed romantic feelings for them. Prytherch said that they had left their laptop unattended, which had their “sexually explicit and nude photographs". After which, one of their students at the Bronx school found the pics and distributed them to other students. In one of the many pictures, Prytherch was seen with a rope around their breasts, students reported. Another showed the “completely naked” teacher on their knees with hands behind them, apparently handcuffed. Witnesses revealed that they identified Prytherch by their tattoos.
Chaifetz High School and the Department of Education transfer schools serve older students who have fallen behind or dropped out and focus to help them to complete their graduation. Since a lot of students at Chaifetz are from “dysfunctional” homes, the school encouraged their teachers to support the children, Prytherch told investigators, adding that they were “directed” to call or text the student in question to ensure he wasn’t late to class. Investigators found 46 text messages between the pair and three phone calls, including several communications after midnight.
Prytherch's “poor judgment” in using their own laptop at school and their “inability to maintain proper boundaries” with the student led the SCI to recommend disciplinary action “up to and including termination”. “This behavior is absolutely unacceptable and this teacher was terminated following these substantiated allegations,” said DOE spokeswoman Katie O’Hanlon. “The safety and well-being of students are our top priority and there is zero tolerance for these actions.”