AT LEAST THREE teachers from high schools in New York have been fired in the past six months for having inappropriate dealings with students online.

The New York Post reports that former Bronx teacher Chadwin Reynolds became friends with six female students on Facebook and left sexually-charged comments on their profiles.

Reynolds, former teacher at Fordham High School for the Arts, is said to have left comments like “This is sexy” under the some of the girls’ photos.

It is also alleged that the 37-year-old tried to convince one teenager to date him; he obtained her phone number and sent her flowers, chocolates and a teddy bear.

The special commissioner of investigation for the New York City school district pointed out that despite being “friends” with teenage girls, Reynolds  posted a lewd tagline that read, “I’m not a gynecologist, but I’ll take a look inside”.

While the Department of Education confirmed that the social-networking incident was the reason for Reynolds being fired, the former teacher denies the allegations.

Other cases

In Manhattan, substitute teacher Stephen D’Andrilli also became friends with several female students on Facebook. He sent one girl a message saying that she was pretty and how he had tried to visit her one Saturday.

He also wrote to an other teenager, saying that her “boyfriend [did not] deserve a beautiful girl like” her.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Laurie Hirsch a Queens-based teacher was subject to an investigation after she posted a photograph of her kissing a 18-year-old former student to her Facebook page.

A probe by the Special Commissioner of Investigation found that the pair were involved in a sexual relationship.

In her defence, Hirsch said that neither she nor the teenager had attended the high school since beginning their relationship.

And yet another teacher, working at La Guardia High School – was found to be giving extra credit to students who “friended” him.

Nancy Willard, director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use told the newspaper:

I think it’s safer for teachers and students to be interacting on the educational plane — not a friendship plane. Socializing on Facebook can cross over into areas that are potentially dangerous.

The Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg said:

I can’t think of anything less appropriate and I hope they’ll be disciplined.