Melanie Akerberg
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Two female Long Island high-school teachers were abruptly yanked from their classrooms Monday after being accused of inappropriate contact with two of male students, sources said.
Sachem HS North business teachers Donna Newton-McNally (left), 41, of Centereach, and Melanie Akerberg (right), 33, of Ronkonkoma, are being investigated by district officials for alleged misconduct with a football player and a wrestler.
Sources said a girlfriend of one of the boys found texts from a teacher on his phone and alerted Sachem North principal John Dolan, who ordered a probe.
The stunned husbands of the two women reacted angrily to the revelations, with one confronting one of the two seniors this week, a source said.
District spokesperson Chris Vaccaro confirmed the teachers were removed but would not disclose the nature of the probe.
It was not clear if they were accused of physical contact or inappropriate correspondence.
The teachers have been administratively reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation.
Suffolk County Police said they have not been contacted about the situation. Both of the seniors are over the age of consent.
Students were stunned by the news and described both teachers as popular fixtures on campus.
“It’s just hard to believe that this stuff goes on,” said one student who tweeted her support for Newton-McNally. “I’m really hoping that there isn’t anything to it and it’s chatter.”
Reeling seniors said that the two male students are charismatic athletes and that both have girlfriends.
“These guys got a lot of attention from girls but you wouldn’t think that it would get to this level,” said a senior pal. “But these days, it seems like you hear about this all the time. Just not at your own school. It’s crazy.”
Akerberg joined the district in 2006 and Newton-McNally was hired in 2001.
Neither was available for comment.
Illicit campus relations have become commonplace in recent years, with a marked increase in female teachers targeting male students.
Football players appear to enjoy a particular appeal among instructors.
Notorious Brooklyn teacher Erin Sayar, 36, was arrested for allegedly smoking pot and repeatedly sleeping with a gridiron star last year.
Her husband has since filed for divorce.