Marysville teacher accused of misconduct with 14-year-old student

MARYSVILLE — A Marysville Middle School teacher accused of misconduct posted $10,000 bond over the weekend.

Paul Matthew “Matt” Chonka, 49, of Mount Vernon is being investigated for communication with a minor for immoral purposes. He was arrested Friday by Marysville police, who allege that Chonka had inappropriate contact with a 14-year-old girl.

Chonka was booked into the Snohomish County Jail in Everett Saturday and released about 11 hours later, public records say.

Chonka teaches science, according to the Marysville School District website. He also worked for 10 years at Arts and Technology High School in Marysville. He transferred to the middle school two years ago, according to his professional profiles online.

His Facebook page says he is on the executive board for the teachers union. The page also says he is a soccer coach and a married father of two.

He has no known criminal history in Washington.

A school district spokeswoman said Friday that Chonka has been placed on leave.

“The district takes all allegations of educator misconduct seriously and has policies and procedures in place to protect students and staff,” an email says. “We expect all staff to adhere to these policies, which include maintaining professional boundaries with students at all times.”

The teen girl told someone about the allegations, and police got involved, Marysville investigators say. She reported having conversations with the teacher that caused concern, “as well as at least one pre-arranged meeting, all of which occurred shortly after summer vacation commenced.”

Detectives have not found any evidence of sexual assault, police said.