A theater teacher for Spring ISD’s Dekaney High School has been charged with a felony crime for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student, according to county records reported by the Houston Chronicle.
The female teacher, 26, was charged following an investigation by the school district, which found evidence of an alleged relationship with a male senior student, 18.
Harris County Clerk’s Office records indicate that the student told investigators he and the teacher had an inappropriate relationship—including sexual contact—on the campus of Dekaney High School, north of Houston.
The student reported that he’d joined the teacher’s theater class at her urging, at which point she gained his phone number. Eventually, they reportedly had phone conversations and exchanged texts of a sexual nature.
It’s believed they both sent nude photos of themselves to each other, and their relationship moved on to oral sex and other misconduct.
When the student tried to disassociate himself from the teacher, she reportedly used a classmate as an intermediary, and it was on the classmate’s phone that his parents discovered the teacher’s text messages to the other student. They then reported that to the police.
After Spring ISD officials met with the teacher about the incident, she resigned from the district in March.
When she appeared in court recently to face a criminal charge, she reportedly bonded out for $20,000.
Even if the sexual contact in such a case was consensual and the student was 18 years old, a school employee can still be charged with an improper relationship with a student.
That crime is a 2nd-degree felony and can lead to punishments including a prison sentence of 2 to 20 years in a state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
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Many teachers face sex charges
A recent study by the Daily Mail newspaper titled “Cougars in the Classroom” showed that dozens of female teachers across America have faced charges of sex crimes involving students in the last 12 months. Many of the teachers have been married women, and one had been honored as teacher of the year.
DailyMail.com found that 25 female teachers had been arrested in 16 states in the past year. The publication believes that is “the tip of the iceberg,” since there is no federal agency or centralized data collection to track the trend of teacher sexual misconduct.
However, it is known that from 2017 through 2022, at least 1,895 teachers had unfavorable actions taken against their credentials by state education licensing boards for sexual misconduct and also for inappropriate relationships with students, which may not have been of a sexual nature. That’s according to the nonprofit National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.
The number of teachers given is likely a vast underestimation since many states don’t provide the reason why a teacher’s credentials were suspended or revoked.
It’s believed that the majority of improper student-teacher relationships involve male teachers. Even so, the number of female teachers facing sex crime charges is increasing.
As for students, Psychology Today magazine reports that around 10% of all American high school students will experience sexual misconduct by educators before they graduate.
The magazine says the most common form of educator sexual misconduct that has been reported involves verbal comments of a sexual nature.
It says males comprise 89% of offenders. It also says nearly two-thirds of offenders are teachers, and almost 20% are gym teachers or coaches.
Social media opens the door for misconduct
A common element of such cases is that the teachers used texting and social media to first entice and then carry on with students via sexual language and nude photos and videos.
According to child psychologist Dr. Michael Oberschneider of Ashburn Psychological Services, “Social media can serve to blur the lines between the student-teacher relationship, which can in turn open the doors to more inappropriate outcomes.”
Since today’s students have more access to teachers via various online formats—and vice versa—inappropriate communications and inappropriate physical relationships of a sexual nature can more readily occur.
Many female teachers have reportedly placed sexually focused content on sites such as OnlyFans, Fansly, Loyalfans and other comparable platforms that students can access. Instagram and other social media platforms can also allow students to see and possibly interact with teachers in a personal or even intimate manner.
Oberschneider says male teachers are more opportunistic, predatory and aggressive with the aim of having sex, while female teachers often proceed due to emotional and personal issues, including intimacy needs, loneliness and feelings of isolation.
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Texas punishments for sex crimes can be severe
Texas Penal Code, Chapter 21, holds that it is a crime in Texas for a teacher or any other employee of a public or private elementary, middle or high school to have sexual contact with a student who is enrolled at the school or is in the school district where the employee works.
Those criminal offenses can include a teacher having an improper student-teacher relationship with a student who is of legal age to consent to sexual contact, with the legal age of consent being 17 or older in Texas.
However, if the student was younger than 17 when the offense occurred, the teacher could be charged with sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child or indecency with a child.
If a school employee has sex with a child who is under 14 years old, that is a 1st-degree felony in Texas, with punishments of 5 to 99 years in a state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Upon conviction, a teacher may also lose their teaching license and be compelled to register as a sex offender.
Get an experienced Houston sex crime defense lawyer
If you or a family member faces an accusation or charge of a sex crime of any kind, not just involving teacher-student relationships, contact an experienced Houston sex crime defense attorney or lawyer with the Neal Davis Law Firm. Your future and your freedom may depend on it.
