Accused Marysville Middle School teacher released on bond

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

Paul Matthew Chonka, 49, of Mount Vernon, who is commonly known as Matt, 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 student.

Chonka was booked into the Snohomish County Jail early Saturday and released about 11 hours later, according to public records.

Chonka teaches science at the middle school, 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, which did not immediately return messages Monday. 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 on Friday said 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,” according to an email. “We expect all staff to adhere to these policies, which include maintaining professional boundaries with students at all times.”

The spokeswoman said the district will not be providing any other information.

The girl told someone about the allegations, and police got involved, according to Marysville investigators. 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. No additional potential victims have been identified.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @rikkiking.