In case you’ve heard about the many recent notorious cases of teachers having inappropriate relationships with students, you may be wondering if you can go to prison for sharing sex videos or images with a teen, as some teachers reportedly have done with their students.
The answer is yes, although the severity of the charge depends on the individual circumstances of the case and the state in which it occurred.
In the case of a female teacher in the small town of St. James, Missouri, which is southwest of St. Louis, the defendant could face a prison sentence of 20 years or more for sending nude photos and videos of herself to a student who was 16 at the time of the incident.
According to the Daily Mail, Rikki Lynn Laughlin, 25, also invited the boy to her home to have sex while her husband was out of town, although he declined. She also allegedly solicited nude photos of the student.
The mother of a one-year-old daughter, Laughlin had been working as a special education teacher at St. James High School, reported the Maries County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities said the interactions between Laughlin and the student largely occurred on Snapchat, beginning at the start of the school year. Through Snapchat, she allegedly sent him an explicit nude video of her performing a sex act.
The boy told authorities that they had kissed in a classroom and “things progressed fast” after she reached out to him via Snapchat.
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Authorities said Laughlin asked the boy to delete all of the pictures they’d exchanged when she became aware that their relationship was being discussed at school. She was reportedly worried that she could go to jail if the videos and images were found. The boy reportedly deleted some but not all of the images.
The school district that employed her learned of the incident and reported the relationship to authorities. A detective then visited the student at his home, where some of the nude photos and other explicit content were discovered.
Laughlin was then arrested, charged and placed on leave by the school district.
Maries County Sheriff’s Office representatives said Laughlin did not deny receiving the photos, but she claimed that the student had initiated their “inappropriate relationship.” She also claimed that she had not been aware that the boy was a minor. (Alleged ignorance of a child’s age is not a legal defense for a sex crime in Texas.)
As it is in Texas, the age of consent in Missouri is 17. This means a youth aged 17 or older can legally consent to having sexual contact. However, the boy in this case was 16 at the time of the alleged offenses. Plus, he was a student, and she was a teacher.
In all, Laughlin was charged with 6 counts of sex crimes for pursuing the teen boy, sending him pornographic images and soliciting photos from him.
According to Newsweek magazine, the formal charges listed by authorities include:
- Attempted statutory rape,
- Possession of child pornography,
- Tampering with a witness,
- Tampering with physical evidence,
- Promoting obscenity in the first degree, and
- Furnishing pornographic materials to a minor.
The last is a misdemeanor under Missouri law, but the other charges are felonies.
Just one of the charges she faces could send Laughlin to prison for more than 20 years if she’s convicted. She has a bond hearing scheduled in court on November 14.
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Texas laws are also harsh for teacher misconduct with students
Under Texas laws, teachers’ misconduct or inappropriate relationships with students can bring similarly harsh punishments. In fact, teacher arrests are rising for such inappropriate contact with students.
A recent example of these stringent measures can be seen in our detailed coverage of Misconduct Allegations Made at Fort Bend Schools, where three elementary school administrators were placed on leave following serious misconduct claims.
As in the Missouri case, school districts are compelled to notify authorities when they learn of teachers’ sexual misconduct with students.
A Texas law enacted in 2017 requires school principals to notify their school district’s superintendent if a teacher is terminated or resigns after allegations of serious misconduct. An additional law enacted in 2019 requires superintendents to report to authorities within 7 days when a non-certified employee resigns or is terminated due to allegations of an improper relationship with a student.
If convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child, which is a first-degree felony, a teacher or anyone else could face a prison sentence of 5 to 99 years and a fine of up to $10,000 in Texas.
As for an improper relationship between an educator and a student, under Texas sex crime laws, that is a second-degree felony for the teacher, with punishments that include a prison sentence of 2 to 20 years and a fine of up to $10,000. This is the case even if the defendant or accused person is a first-time offender.
Those who are convicted of such crimes are also required to register as sex offenders upon release from prison. And with teachers, they can permanently lose their license to teach.
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What is an improper relationship between a teacher and student?
As for what constitutes an improper relationship between a teacher and a student, that can mean any type of sexual contact between them.
According to the Texas Penal Code, a teacher or any other employee of a primary or secondary school (elementary school, middle school or high school), whether public or private, commits a sex crime if they engage in “sexual contact, sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse” with a student who was enrolled at the school where the employee worked or a student who attended school in the same school district.
It’s no defense if the student is older than a minor. (Minors are younger than 18 in Texas.) Even if the sexual contact is consensual and the student is 18 years old or older, a school employee can still be charged with an improper relationship with a student.
Get an experienced sex crime defense lawyer
Not all teachers who are accused of an improper relationship with a student are guilty of the crime. A student may have made the claim to get attention or to lash out if the teacher gave the student a bad grade. Other defenses against sex crimes involving children may also arise.
Whatever the case, if you or a family member living in the Houston area faces a claim, accusation or charge of an improper relationship with a student or any form of child sexual assault, you must engage a skilled sex crime defense lawyer to fight for your legal rights.
