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Teacher Sues City Over Firing For Dating Teen Model
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 25, 2008
Modified Nov 25, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 25, 2008
Modified Nov 25, 2008
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A tenured second grade school teacher in Queens is suing to win her job back after being fired because her boyfriend/baby daddy was a high school student at one point in their relationship.
Joshua Walter, 19, whose pretty face can be seen most recently in ads and commercials for Hugo Boss, met his lover Gina Salamino, age 37, when he was just 12. But their passion wasn't ignited until two years ago, when they reconnected at a party. According to the Daily News exclusive, "that flirty encounter led to dates at the movies, hundreds of phone calls, nights at her Howard Beach apartment and sex."
Now they live together and have a child! Salamino insists she didn't know he was enrolled in high school when their affair began; Walter's modeling career had taken off to the point where he rarely attended class. But a November 2006 tip that Salamino was making out with a young male prompted a Department of Education investigation. Later, a hearing officer ordered Salamino dismissed for "sexual misconduct." Her lawyer calls the ruling "irrational and not based on adequate or substantial evidence in the record."
When confronted about the affair, Walter reportedly declared, "I'm tapping that ass and there's nothing you can do about it." In a written statement, he described Salamino as "my shorty." And in another YouTube video (there are lots!) the hunk reveals, "I just like to do what regular guys like to do. I like to eat, I like to watch sports, play sports, know what I mean? Chill with my girlfriend, know what I mean?"
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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