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5th Grade Teacher Had Students Make Cards For Prison Inmate
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 16, 2012
Modified Feb 16, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 16, 2012
Modified Feb 16, 2012
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The Department of Education's Special Commissioner of Investigation found that Queens fifth-grade teacher Melissa Dean "used the students in her class to send handmade holiday greeting cards to her friend, John Coccarelli, who is a convicted felon serving time in the Groveland Correctional Facility in upstate New York." Coccarelli is serving time for a weapons charge and for violating an order of protection... and was once charged—though not convicted—with child pornography possession. Which leads to this finding from the Special Commisisoner: "Dean suggested that the students write personal information on the cards, including their names and addresses, and she printed the name of the student on the back of his or her card."
John Coccarelli
Special Commissioner Richard Condon's office got involved when a NY State Corrections Officer determined that the package—which had 27 handmade cards—was inappropriate for Coccarelli to possess (he never received any of the cards). The prison figured out that the cards were from students at PS 143 in Queens; the prison's superintendent called PS 143 Principal Sheila Gorski and sent her the package, which include two cards with students' addresses. And one card was from Dean—it read "from your Wifey."
When Gorski questioned Dean, the 31-year-old teacher admitted that Coccarelli was her friend but said he was in prison for a violation of an order of protection. (Between November 2010 and November 2011, Dean visited Coccarelli 11 times and, between September 7, 2011 and January 3, 2012, Coccarelli called Dean 312 times.) Dean also admitted she didn't have permission from the students' parents but she "asserted to Gorski that she felt it was not a school-related matter and reported that she mailed the package from a Post Office on Long Island," saying it "was a nice thing to do."
Upon interviewing students in Dean's class (read details here), investigators learned that Dean told the kids that the cards were meant for people who were lonely and didn't have family and suggested that her students write things about themselves on the cards. The cards were a two-day project and one student said that Dean was "the best teacher because she put video[s]" on and did not give a lot "of homework."
Condon recommended that the Department of Education fire Dean. This is the latest disturbing incident to rock the DOE—a week ago, a Brooklyn teacher's aide was accused of making child porn in school and days ago an Upper West Side teacher's aide, who had a sketchy history, was accused of sexually abusing a student.
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cards
john coccarelli
melissa dean
prison inmate
ps 143
queens
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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