A former Queens teacher bedded a female student, lavished others with gifts and fixed grades for favored pupils, according to the Special Commissioner of Investigation.
Peter Muhlbach, 53, of Woodside, began having sex with a student at Long Island City High School in 2015 and later had her move in with him after graduation, according to a new SCI report.
“The actions and behaviors of Mr. Muhlbach are completely unacceptable and they clearly demonstrate his abuse of authority as a teacher,” said Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman in a statement.
The former student, now 24, said the math teacher repeatedly provided her with drugs and alcohol during their relationship and that they trysted in his apartment while she was still enrolled at the school.
He also gave her unlimited use of his car and a credit card while they were together, papers state.
Investigators found that Muhlbach behaved inappropriately with a slew of other female students in recent years, showering them with cash and gifts, coaxing them to meet outside of school and liking provocative social media pictures, according to the report.
They did not substantiate any other instances of intercourse with students.
One teen said Muhlbach — whose Facebook page is packed with pictures of current and former students — “gave girls money for no reason” and handed her $50 on one occasion, the report said.
Another pupil told probers that he called her his “wife” in front of classmates and openly told girls that they could indulge in drinks with him after graduation.
One student’s parents became concerned when they found flirty texts between the two — then grew suspicious he was boosting her grades, because she scored low marks in every class but his, the papers noted.
“If you were pretty and girl, Muhlbach would offer to give you ‘whatever grade’ you wanted,” one student said, according to the report.
The student said she requested a 90 grade in her geometry class and was actually given a perfect 100 — despite piling up 30 absences and notching a 35 out of 100 on her regents exam in the subject.
The probe into Muhlbach began in December 2018 when an anonymous tipster said the teacher was behaving inappropriately and had posted pictures online of himself at a bar with a student.
An assistant principal reviewed Muhlbach’s grading patterns and concluded that he was improperly boosting marks for certain students, according to the report.
Muhlbach declined to be interviewed by investigators in June and resigned from the DOE in September, officials said.
Students praised Muhlbach as a friendly and approachable teacher Thursday.
“He seemed like a nice guy,” said junior Sophia Sanchez. “I just hope the best for him and that he didn’t abuse his powers of being a teacher and that these girls are safe.”
Muhlbach could not be reached for comment.
“These were deeply disturbing allegations, and this teacher is no longer a DOE employee. He was removed from the classroom and away from students during the investigation,” said DOE spokeswoman Danielle Filson.