Maryland middle school teacher’s aide will not face charges after being seen masturbating during Zoom lesson

‘I had no clue that Zoom was still on,’ claims Marc Schack

A teacher’s aide in Maryland will not face charges after he was filmed masturbating during a Zoom call with a class of eighth graders.

Marc Schack, an assistant for special education students at Shady Grove Middle School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, was placed on administrative leave on Monday after the footage that was filmed at the end of a history lesson was shared online.

The 13-second clip allegedly showed Mr Schack looking at the screen, before standing up, turning away from his laptop and beginning to masturbate.

Mr Schack’s name was on the screen as the host of the Zoom call, but seconds after he stood up, another name appeared replacing him as the moderator.

The teacher’s aide told Fox 5 that he was unaware of the video when he was placed on administrative leave, as he claimed he was informed that the school had “misplaced his background check file.”

Mr Schack added that he only discovered the reason for the action when he was contacted by reporters on Wednesday.

The teacher’s aide, who has worked for Montgomery County Public Schools for 21 years, also runs Pirate Magic, a business that throws “pirate parties” for children in the area.

Following reports of the video, Mr Schack has insisted that he thought the online lesson had ended, telling Bethesda Magazine on Wednesday: “I thought I was logged out when class was over.”

He added: “I had no clue that Zoom was still on. Why would I do that? That’s my job. I had no clue that Zoom was on. I mean, that’s just crazy behaviour.”

Mr Schack claimed that he thought he was in the privacy of his residence at the time, saying: “I’m not a pervert or anything like that, you know. You gotta believe me on that”, and adding: “I’m only human. It was my bad.”

Shady Grove principal, Alana Murray, wrote to parents earlier in the week to confirm that a staff member had “engaged in inappropriate behaviour.”

Ms Murray added: “We ask that any student who may have this video posted on social media platforms take down the content and refrain from sharing with other students.”

A district spokesperson told the New York Post on Thursday that an employee had been placed on administrative leave, as an investigation is ongoing into “inappropriate behaviour that was sexual in nature” earlier in the week.

“Per our procedures, we do not release the names of staff members that are under investigation,” the spokesperson continued, adding: “Local authorities were informed and are investigating as well.”

However, Montgomery County police spokesman Rick Goodale confirmed to Bethesda Magazine on Thursday that Mr Schack will not face charges as his alleged behaviour “did not rise to the level of a criminal offence under Maryland law”.

The Independent has contacted Montgomery County Public Schools and Pirate Magic for comment.