A Brooklyn high school teacher has been accused of sending an underage student a naked picture through the photo-sharing app Snapchat last month.
Sean Shaynak, a 44-year-old math and physics teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly sending a 16-yer-old girl a picture of him fully exposed, the New York Daily News reported. He was charged with disseminating indecent material to a minor.
Snapchat, a "disappearing" picture app, lets the user send photos but after a few seconds the images are deleted from the recipient's phone. The victim was able to save Shaynak's alleged nudie-pic by taking a screen shot of it before alerting adult.
"This is a disturbing allegation as schools should be safe havens for students where teachers should protect our children from, and not expose them to, such disgusting sexual images," Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson told the Daily News.
Shaynak, who is divorced and has a daughter, befriended the unnamed teenager and smoked cigarettes and pot with her, prosecutors said. The two were also Facebook friends.
Investigators did not release the nature of the explicit photo, which Shaynak allegedly sent July 27. One person saw the image and said "I want to poke my eyes out," the Daily News reported.
Some students at Brooklyn Tech, where Shaynak has been teaching for five years, suggested he has a reputation for being a perv.
"I love Shaynak (but) everyone knew this was coming," one student tweeted according to the Daily News.
At his arraignment, a judge barred the East Flatbush resident from having any contact, social media or otherwise, with the victim. Shaynak's bond was set at $100,000.
Education Department Spokeswoman Devora Kaye said Shaynak has since been taken off duty pending the investigation.
"This alleged behavior is unacceptable, and has no place in our schools," Kaye told the newspaper, adding that Shaynak will still collect his $55,744 yearly salary.
Shayank pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
