As seniors at Townsend Harris High School, we were outraged to find out that a former teacher, Mr. Joseph Canzoneri, was allowed to come back to our school after the Special Commissioner of Investigation for City Schools’ (SCI) report revealed he “had engaged in ‘numerous inappropriate acts’ involving teenage female students.” 

According to The Classic:

In a May 31 report to the chancellor, the SCI investigators concluded that Mr. Canzoneri “demonstrated a consistent and troubling pattern of inappropriate behavior.” As part of the behaviors described, the report said that Mr. Canzoneri “engaged in a sexual relationship…with a female THHS student.” The office recommended for him to be fired and prevented from securing any future employment from the “DOE, its vendors, or in any of its facilities.

Because no students agreed to testify, the investigation was dropped. As such, no further action was taken against him. Canzoneri was also tenured, which made it even more difficult to terminate him. He was still able to interact with students despite being taken out of classrooms.

The fact that the student body wasn’t made aware of this until an article by The Classic about this situation was released raises questions as to whether or not other predators are still employed at Townsend Harris.

We want a safe environment for us and our fellow classmates and to be able to be completely sure we are coming to school to learn, not to be preyed on. In an effort to enforce this, we demand that:

1. Students and parents at Townsend Harris be informed when a teacher has been credibly accused of sexual misconduct—students have the right to be aware of potential threats in their community to both remain vigilant for themselves and for their peers.
2. Teachers who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct should be entirely prohibited from interacting with Townsend students, and completely removed from the building until the matter is resolved. “Rubber rooms” in the building do not suffice.
3. Periodic trainings be provided to prepare students for what they should do if they experience sexual misconduct by any member (faculty, staff, administration) of the school community. Trainings should define what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behavior between teachers and students for both in-person and remote interactions.
4. Offer full transparency to the student body and the school newspaper, The Classic, in its investigations of what has gone wrong at Townsend Harris.
5. The DOE revisit and revise its broken policies surrounding sexual misconduct. This includes procedures that require former students to give their testimony face-to-face with the individual they’re accusing, as stated in UFT guidelines as part of due process.