A Spanish teacher at a prestigious New York high school who was reassigned after “sucking a man’s nipple during a Zoom class” returns to school unexpectedly after an appeal but “retires irrevocably” at the end of the year.
- Columbia University high school Spanish teacher Amanda Fletcher has returned to classrooms after she was ejected for sucking a man’s nipple during a Zoom class.
- Fletcher, 38, was caught on camera “engaged in inappropriate sexual intercourse” on screen with students on September 30, 2020.
- Although she settled the misconduct charges by agreeing to “retire irrevocably retire” in July, she returned to class on March 7, much to her parents’ outrage.
- Principal Miriam Nightingale said it was out of her control and that she could not stop Fletcher from attending the school or interfere with her teaching.
Parents and students at the Columbian High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering in Manhattan were shocked to see the return of a Spanish teacher who was fired from school for “sucking a male nipple” during a Zoom class.
Amanda Fletcher, 38, was kicked out of an elite school in October 2020 after New York City Department of Education officials found she “engaged in inappropriate sexual intercourse” while instructing her class via Zoom.
During the Zoom call, Fletcher “appeared to be sucking on the nipple of an unknown topless man” while “spinning” or “swaying back and forth,” according to the New York Post.
Fletcher, a staff teacher, appealed the decision, and Department of Education officials said she was moved to a “district office” after leaving the school.
While Fletcher settled the misconduct allegations by agreeing to “irretrievably retire” on July 1, 2022, she reappeared at the school on March 7, scaring both students and parents.
“I find this whole situation nauseating,” a mother, whose daughter testified before investigators, told the Post. “This is more than a slap in the face.”
Amanda K. Fletcher, 37 (above), had “inappropriate sexual intercourse” in front of students at Columbia Math, Science and Engineering High School during a Zoom class on September 30, 2020, government investigators said.
She was expelled from an elite New York school in October 2020, and although she agreed to formally retire this July, she was seen again at school on March 7.
The mom, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her daughter’s privacy, said she complained to school authorities but received no answer as to why Fletcher was allowed to return.
Principal Miriam Nightingale said it was out of her control and that she could not stop Fletcher from attending the school.
“I don’t care where the woman goes, but warn us,” Mom said. “Let the kids know because they did their duty by talking to investigators.”
Principal Miriam Nightingale told The Post that Fletcher’s return is not something the school can control.
“The decision to return Amanda Fletcher to the service was not made at the school level,” she said in an email. “I can neither change her assignment to our school, nor ban her from the building.”
The New York City Department of Energy did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment.
The city’s Department of Energy called the September 30, 2020 incident “completely unacceptable.”
During the Zoom call, students had previously seen a man standing behind Fletcher as she ate spaghetti, the City Schools Special Commissioner of Investigation discovered.
About 12 minutes before the end of class, Fletcher began to fall in love with her shirtless companion.
Pressing her lips against his bare torso and swaying back and forth several times, she resumed teaching and “discussing the worksheet,” one of the students told investigators.
It’s unclear how she ended up on camera in a compromising position, but it appears she may not have realized that her camera was still on at the time.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Fletcher attended Depot University, a private college in Indiana, and has been teaching at the New York City Department of Education for 13 years.
The high school is ranked 203rd among high schools nationwide and 24th in New York City.