Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
One "Horndog High" Lesbian Tryst Teacher CAN'T Return To Classroom
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 29, 2012
Modified Jun 29, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 29, 2012
Modified Jun 29, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this month, a judge ruled that one of the two teachers who were accused in 2009 of having a steamy lesbian tryst in the janitor's closet—and subsequently fired by the DOE—would be allowed to teach again. But while Alini Brito can return to the classroom, the other teacher involved in that alleged tryst won't be allowed to. Huh?
Judge Robert Torres upheld an arbitrator’s decision to fire Cindy Mauro, a former French instructor at Brooklyn’s James Madison High School, as “rational and with plausible basis.” Mauro had allegedly been spotted by a janitor half naked in a classroom lounging between the legs of a topless Brito; both women denied anything steamy was happening, with Brito insisting that Mauro was simply checking her blood sugar. City lawyers argued that there was no medical equipment found with the women, and the two had climbed six flights of stairs to get to the room, passing multiple classrooms and more than one bathroom on the way.
While Torres agreed with the arbitrator about Mauro, Supreme Court Justice Alice Schlesinger previously chastised the city for an “excessive and shockingly severe” punishment against Brito: “We have children who are deprived of a first-class, caring teacher, and a teacher who, due to one sensational, publicly exploited incident where she exhibited extremely poor judgment, is deprived of continuing a career she loves and excels at," Schlesinger wrote in her opinion. “That is not a good balance, in the opinion of this court. In fact, the imbalance is shockingly bad.” Unfortunately for Mauro, the imbalance was good enough in her case.
Tagged
alini brito
brooklyn
cindy mauro
horndog high
james madison high school
lesbian
lesbian tryst
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .