Their looking into the forensic evidence.

Where were these teachers when I was in high school!!!!! And wouldn't the internet have been sweet!

Playboy was for the articles ...RIGHT ..........................

If he was over sixteen, this is not abuse, but she is a slutty whore.

If he was over sixteen, this is not abuse, but she is a slutty whore.

It's abuse until they're 18. Just because it's a younger boy and an older woman does not make it ok.

I can guarantee that your reaction would be different if it was a younger girl and an older man.

How many kids his age had at least dreamt of this happening! Pimp of the yearbook! I just hope you used protection.

The old saying is, do not crap where you eat. Lack of professionalism and it's going to cost her dearly.

What was she thinking, you ask?

Reading and writing and 'rithmatic

And something that rhymes with hickory stick!

Yeah...it`s interesting to note the mock disgust so many people have over such an incident. As if the urge to have sex was something horrific and not part of our natural existence. Reminds me of all those fraudulent Priests who in public berate those who enjoy sex outside of marriage while they themselves take sexual advantage of young children who are far more naive than this 17 yearold highschool student. 20 years in prison for having carnal knowledge of a 17 yearold student????? No wonder Texas is refered to as the "buckle on the bible belt". No wonder they chose a governor the likes of Bush Jr. Don`t look for reason in any state that holds such admiration for biblical magic, especially one that can adulterate NT scripture and all the good things Jesus stood for into concepts where charity, compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness are seen as weakness.

As the Union teachers picket for higher wages, lower class sizes, and more vacation just BEFORE the start of the school year, the signs read:

• "It is for the children."

This isn't news. Move along people. Nothing to see here.

It's abuse until they're 18.

Small clarification; the age of consent in Texas is 17, not 18. However, as noted in the article there is a law in the Texas Criminal Code that says that sex between a teacher and student is illegal at any age. For now, that's what she is being charged under.

Both were consenting adults. This isn't news. Move along people. Nothing to see here.

My above reply also applies to "Give it a Rest!"; in this case it isn't the age that matters, it's the fact that she was a teacher and he was a student.

Of course, this could all be the typical highschool rumors run rampant and out of control, and she just got swept up by it. Innocent until proven guilty of course.

It's abuse until they're 18. Just because it's a younger boy and an older woman does not make it ok.

I can guarantee that your reaction would be different if it was a younger girl and an older man

Legally, it is abuse until the age of consent in that state. A 17 year old having sex with a 40 year old may be wrong, but it is not legally abuse if the age of consent is 17. I'm not sure what the law there says about teachers having sex with students who are over the age of consent, but the penalty must be less than if the student was under the age of consent.

My reaction would be the it was an older man having sex with a younger woman who was over the age of consent.

Jerry-1927474

If he was over sixteen, this is not abuse, but she is a slutty whore.

Looks like she will be doing some time... Tex has special laws regarding teachers and students.

Texas

The age of consent in Texas is 17 (Texas Penal Code Section 21.11). However, "...It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the actor...was not more than three years older than the victim and of the opposite sex...(and) did not use duress, force, or a threat against the victim at the time of the offence" and is not a registered sex offender Section 21.11 (b).

Section 21.12 further prohibits all sexual contact between an employee of a school (including educators) and a student enrolled at the primary or secondary school where said employee works (unless the student is the employee's spouse). No age is specified by the statute (thus, even if the student has reached consent age of 17, it is still a violation), and violations are a second degree felony.

It could have been worse, at least he was not home schooled.

@ Ido

Its illegal here for teachers to have a union in Texas, That is why teachers here have the lowest wage for teachers in the nation... so your right wing propaganda talking points don't apply here.

What is wrong with these people? Can't they find someone that they're not an authority figure to, or are they just that desperate to cheat on their spouse (seems like they're always married)?

Once the teenager hits the age of consent, it's fine with them to be with someone older (no matter how much older), UNLESS the other person is an authority figure- teacher, boss, etc. Is it really that hard for them to keep it in their pants until their student has graduated? (and don't forget the apparently impossible trick of just avoiding someone you're feeling inappropriately towards, especially when you're married).

These kinds of people drive me nuts.

Oh the moral indignation!!! A teacher having sex with a guy who was maybe under 18! Oh, the outrage. Hang her by her thumbs. Put her away!

You people make me sick!

MireVo3,

It is not illegal for teachers to have a union here in Texas. There are many teacher's unions in Texas. They just cannot require membership or payment of union dues. Hence the reason that Texas is a Right to Work state.

I am utterly repulsed by these overzealous religious fanatics who are intent on making all of us dull. None of you have the right to determine for anyone else what other people's morals should be. You should look to your own glass house, before you start slinging rocks. I have a cite for you: Matthew 7:1-6.

You have all of the virtues I despise, and and none of the vices I admire.

I agree with every one of you who thought "Where the teachers like that when *I* was in school?!" because if you didn't think that, you're not normal.

Idiotic..what a waste of all that life of learning and family..loses her teachers cert., her employment, possible 20 years in the slammer, life time registered sex offender, no doubt heading to a divorce, embarrassment of family and her children.

Buy a cucumber its safter.

ldo

As the Union teachers picket for higher wages, lower class sizes, and more vacation just BEFORE the start of the school year, the signs read:

• "It is for the children."

As teachers deserve a reasonable salary increase (maybe because they have to do the job PARENTS do not do), have the largest class sizes in history, work more than a standard 8 hour day (everyday of the school year), the sign righties like us to believe is:

• Punish all teachers because one made a poor decision in this article.

trust_verify

Jerry-1927474

If he was over sixteen, this is not abuse, but she is a slutty whore.

Looks like she will be doing some time... Tex has special laws regarding teachers and students.

Texas

The age of consent in Texas is 17 (Texas Penal Code Section 21.11). However, "...It is an affirmativedefenseto prosecution under this section that the actor...was not more thanthree years olderthan the victimand of the opposite sex...(and) did not use duress, force, or a threat against the victim at the time of the offence" and is not a registered sex offender Section 21.11 (b).

Section 21.12 further prohibits all sexual contact between an employee of a school (including educators) and a student enrolled at the primary or secondary school where said employee works (unless the student is the employee's spouse). No age is specified by the statute (thus, even if the student has reached consent age of 17, it is still a violation), and violations are a second degree felony.

Trust thanks for the info, I wasn't aware of the other law.

I feel sorry for her Husband and 2 kids, they sure didn't ask for any of this.

10 years of marriage down the drain, all for a romance with an underage kid which she figured was her secret.

Wonder what her kids will think her down the road, The husband might want to get checked for STD's since we now how faithful his wife (ex) is!

Yeah, shes a nice looking gal and some think the kids lucky to sleep with her but what about values, morals?
Guess that's just something from the past now.

Wonder what kind of grades the kid got from her and if the grades are even truly accurate?

Now they need to put this kid through extensive therapy to get that smile off his face. Let's not forget to punish his friends for all those high five's.

The teacher-student laws are under attack in several other states, and will likely be struck down by higher courts. Wouldnt be surprised if this gal gets run through the Texas justice wringer, serves a few years before her case is throw out and exonerated in a higher court.

I am utterly repulsed by these overzealous religious fanatics who are intent on making all of us dull.

If dull means the preservation of a long standing marriage (with two young children, btw), I'll take dull every day of the week.

None of you have the right to determine for anyone else what other people's morals should be.

In that case, I call dibs on your car. Property is theft, after all, and who are you to judge me? /s

You should look to your own glass house, before you start slinging rocks. I have a cite for you: Matthew 7:1-6.

Tessmacher, I've got a cite for you: John 8:1-11. That's when Jesus saved an adultress from being stoned to death by her village by saying that only the people who hadn't sinned should throw the first stone.

How does the passage end, you ask? Jesus forgives the adultress, and tells her to sin no more.

Wet Willy is spot on. Yeah, I'll bet she really had to pull authority and severely threaten this 17 year old to get him into her bed. I absolutely fault her for the adultery part to her husband and kids, but do any of you 'morally outraged' morons REALLY think she had to FORCE this guy to have sex with her? (Which is the original intent behind the creation of that law) You CAN'T be that ignorant of human nature (the birds and the bees), can you?

The real story would be Texas has Science teachers.

She must have had a blonde brain fart and thought that she was teaching sex-ed. After a few years in the slammer, she will be qualified to teach criminal science. LOL

Armando-1888053

I am utterly repulsed by these overzealous religious fanatics who are intent on making all of us dull.

If dull means the preservation of a long standing marriage (with two young children, btw), I'll take dull every day of the week.

A lot of people would probably consider my marriage dull- we don't have all that excitement of fooling around with anyone who doesn't strongly object. Not that we're at all perfect, but that dullness comes with some pretty interesting things that are not at all 'exciting'- trust, contentment, peace, love, committment, etc. I'll keep my boring life where the most exciting thing to happen most days is the 2 year old escaping in the middle of a diaper change. :)

well he's ruined now! nothing but older trim for him here on!

she scooped the niblets!

I'd hit dat.

Well, I was wondering what the authorities could do to this science teacher by way of legal retribution for the extra-curricular lab work, but Trust Verify supplied some pertinent facts [missing from msnbc's story] which show that the alleged incidents do constitute a crime.

Who'd have thought the age of consent would be so late in Texas. I would have thought it to be something like 12 or 13.

There is no reason to believe other students were involved, investigators said.

...and most of us had not even guessed it might be otherwise, until now.

Wow, that has to be the coolest teacher ever.

Glad to know the police have nothing better to do. It wasn't even statutory rape. (Yes, I know Texas has a special law.)

It's all about votes and about police departments making $$$ from crime.

While I think she should lose her job and NEVER be allowed to teach at any school with minors, I do not think she should face jail time. There is a world of difference between a perverted old bat having sex with a horny 17/18 boy and someone who forces compliance from minor. Unless they can show she has done this with younger boys; blacklist her and let her go, this isn't worth the money it would cost to prosecute.

On the flip side WHY do these teachers/principals believe they will be the ones who will get away with this crap? And WHY would a 40 year old want a sexual relationship with a 17/18 year old and vice versa.......gross!!!

And WHY would a 40 year old want a sexual relationship with a 17/18 year old and vice versa.......gross!!!

A forty-year-old lusting after an 18-year-old: Is that really such a mystery?

There are a few like minds here who have to read the school's web page in this context. At any rate, it's not that the crime is so horrendous, it's that the Texas legal mind is so twisted.

I'm with the other poster who was shocked that there were science teachers in Texas. I thought they didn't believe in science. I know the don't beleive in history, the new Texas Board of "education" text books gives an entire chapter to Newt and Falwell but none to Thomas Jefferson. How the hell does the Newt qualify as history, other than being the first speaker of the house to be disciplined for unethical behavior, but I am sure they didnt mention that.

I thought they didn't believe in science.

She was teaching creationism.

@Newscover,

I was thinkin' the same thing. Had a few teachers I lusted for. One of them had the last name of "Fox," and she was definitely one.

Prisoner 1: How long you in for?

Prisoner 2: 20 years.

Prisoner 1: You must have killed someone, I traded my 7 year old for crack and only got 10 years.

Prisoner 2: No, I had sex with another consenting adult....

Don't worry people she's being punished with paid administrative leave.

We all know if the genders had been reversed, the male teacher would have been guillotined by now

I read the article several times. Can anyone point out where it says the student was a "he"?

littleboyblue

I read the article several times. Can anyone point out where it says the student was a "he"?

Look under the photo of the teacher to find the gender

Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science Hook
Don't know much about the french I took

But I do know that I'll bone you
And I know that if you bone me too
What a wonderful world this would be

LOL. It's a shame they decided to ruin that lady's life over something like that. Then again, it is texas, and they are tough on crime. One wonders how much this is about "right and wrong"anymore, and how much this is about making money for the justice system. It's become a business, just like healthcare is a business. Sad, really...If she really abused a minor, then punish her, but that's not what really happened here, is it ?

really? .....Fort Worth has never crossed your mind?

Just because she was arrested does not mean she is guilty yet. So instead of putting the School District in danger of wrongful termination before she is found guilty the have to give her due process.

Rachel Cornish

Paid administrative leave, really having sex with a student gets you a paid vacation. What has this world come too.

Much the same as the case last week in Washington state. Teachers earn their pay checks during the days they are in class but are paid over the entire year... So they can't stop the checks until the beginning of the next school year/cycle. I really hope she was smart enough to use cash and not her cc. Then again she was dumb enough to cheat on her spouse so who knows.

You know the funny part is after reading the title I knew it was a woman. For some reason the shoe is on the other foot and women get a pass but if it was a male teacher everyone would be outraged. We have a total double standard me included as a a society.

...well.......she ain't all that.......but if I was 17 again I would probably hit that

No kidding, I couldn't even find that he was actually her student, the only thing I'm seeing is that he happens to be a student and she happens to be a teacher. How ridiculous. If he's 18 then he's a legal adult. Victim my blankity-blank.

Lyr, the article clearly states the law applies to teachers of that student. The law is based on CONFLICT OF INTEREST (by the teacher, not the student), and BETRAYAL OF TRUST (by the teacher, of the trust placed in him/her, by both the public and the student). The relationship presents the teacher with TWO interests (teaching and sex), and places the student in a position of being taken advantage of (because the teacher is supposed to be both looking after their long term best interest, and at the same time, exercises some power [through grades, graduation, etc.] over their lives and future). Additionally, the relationship can give other students blackmail leverage to use against the teacher. Similar circumstances make it illegal for doctors to have sex with their patients. No teacher should ever have sex with any of his/her students! Period!

If it was a young girl and an older man you'd be calling for him to be castrated, even if she was a willing participant.

Double standards sicken me.

If it was a young girl and an older man you'd be calling for him to be castrated, even if she was a willing participant.

Not if she was above the age of consent. The point here being that if he was 17-the age of consent-the teacher did not commit abuse, the only law they broke is the one that said a teacher cannot have sex with a student-which is very different than abuse.

Not if she was above the age of consent. The point here being that if he was 17-the age of consent-the teacher did not commit abuse, the only law they broke is the one that said a teacher cannot have sex with a student-which is very different than abuse.

The point being that she cheated on her spouse for starters... she also violated the unwritten law on student teacher relations... but most critical to this CASE is TX has a written law against teachers having relations with students in primary or secondary schools. If they have the receipt or video from checkin this is an open and shut case. Mommy is going to prison and daddy will get sole custody in the divorce....

Some Guy-5289621

You would almost think that there is a difference between men and women.
Oh that's right... there is a difference. I guess it's not PC to admit that.

In response to "Trust_Verify" and the statement "The point being that she cheated on her spouse for starters"

20 years potential for this? Better start building prisons, lots and lots of prisons. Maybe it would be cheaper to build a safe haven for those that don't cheat on a spouse. Nope, I never have but as I understand it (I could be wrong but I don't think so) cheating on a spouse happens all the time.

So, start paying 80% in taxes so we can build all of those prisons where we have people spending 20 years for cheating on a spouse.

One factor that people refuse to admit or recognize is that a man can force himself on a woman physically whether she wants him to or not. In other words, she does not need to be aroused for the act to take place. A woman cannot. It is physically impossible for a woman to have sex with a man if he is not aroused. A teacher is in a position of authority over a student and if you want to say she abused that authority, I will agree. But to say that she "raped" him or that he is a victim of anything is just not true.

A 17 year old boy can be aroused by a good breeze. Yes a female can rape a guy. She should receive the same treatment as any man doing this to an 17 year old girl.

Cappy,

Factually, you are incorrect. It is common knowledge that men can have an erection against their will. It is a physological reaction that they cannot always control. Some men have had this happen when being raped and it is often assumed that they must have enjoyed the action because of this, when that is patently untrue. It is also possible for men to be raped by women if an erection is acheived without their consent. There are cases where this has occurred.

As for the current story, it doesn't matter if this teenager consented or not, if he's under the legal age of consent, it is still statutory rape. If not, there seems to be a law referenced in the story forbidding relations between teachers and students, so a law was broken regardless.

let's talk more about erections, and women forcing themselves, and cloakrooms, and perhaps some more details about the encounters. details please.

i'm 55, white, overweight, have no life, and women want nothing to do with me. this conversation is the most exciting thing that's happened to me since...since...the last teacher/student encounter story.

i'm pathetic.

Jim,

....erection, erection, erection, erection... cloakroom, cloakroom, cloakroom....

(can't believe I just did that to a guy... I must be gay)

It's possible for a woman to rape a man... the key is that she needs to be able to either pummel the man into submission or she needs to have a weapon of some sort. Neither of which is likely and neither of which is the case here.

still an interesting double standard exists.

As long as the girl was over the age of consent, the penalty would be the same. I don't think people would have a bigger problem with it. The reason words like "rape" aren't being used is that it seems as though the "boy" was 17 and can legally have consentual sex with whom he pleases.

SPARTAN-501

It's possible for a woman to rape a man... the key is that she needs to be able to either pummel the man into submission or she needs to have a weapon of some sort. Neither of which is likely and neither of which is the case here.

Rape in some states is defined as unwanted sexual intercourse including ORAL. Also had the male been under the age of consent it is statutory rape... have to be old enough to consent...

As noted in the article it doesn't look like a rape charge is pending. The charge is sex with a student by an employee/agent of the school. TEX apparently has laws to protect their students at any age. Perhaps one to many cowboys?

F$#% you cappy, if it was a guy doing this to a female student it'd be 20 years in jail. You rotten females lookin for a better offer from a high school kid. her husband probably slavin away trying to provide for her sorry azz and she's trickin at local hotels. nail this skank to the wall

She's a whore but that doesn't mean the kid feels victimized. I know I wouldn't have felt victimized while a teenager.

And, yes, it it were a guy, I'd be much more in favor of punishment.

Wow-

You admit a double standard in your response. Why is that permissible in these situations? Notice it's usually men who respond that way.

The AGE is the difference here, not the gender.

If the boy was 17, he can legally consent to sex. If it was a 17 year old girl with a man, the same would be true.

If the law says that it is illegal for a teacher to have sex with a student-she should be punished-but for that and not child abuse as there was no child. The same would be true in reverse situation.

Go ask the young man if he thinks he's a "victim" or not. This woman does not deserve to spend a minute in jail.

Absolutely. Way too much of the public likes to go into hysterics even in cases like these where the crime is a fabrication, an issue of semantics as opposed to any real harm being committed. This type of hysteria only feeds two very dangerous monsters, those who want to enforce their idea of religious based law and the Prison for Profit system.

BTW, you have to admit those who dreamed up the Prisons for Profit were brilliant (though quite sociopathic). There are always a number of hysterics and sadists in every culture who love to persecute anyone they can conveniently scapegoat and there is always a percentage of the public that needs to deny their cultural culpability in crimes their society commit on others. The feverish "patriots" who support America's Military Empire, which is pretty close to pure evil in practice are a shining example. Quite sad and horrifying to watch your country march deeper and deeper into becoming a Fascist state while way too many of the public cheer them on.

My 5th grade teacher, cornered me in the book closet in our school library. She was in her early 20's and beautiful beyond belief. A stunning redhead, with a young handsome husband, that was also a baseball coach at the district high school..

I was like all of the other guys, and thought she was a fox, so when it happened, you would have thought it would have been a dream come true. However, I was shocked and frightened, and could barely contain my fear when she rubbed up against me and began to fondle me..

I was short for my age/grade, and curly haired, and not especially outgoing. I was just an average student, but an artist beyond my years, and she was the art teacher as well as a regular 5th grade teacher.

That was the first encounter, and that was only the beginning of her depravity where I was concerned. She moved my desk to position me directly in front of her desk, and would exchange looks with me when everyone else was preoccupied reading or in the art class busy on their project, and would spread her legs so I could see her..

She later volunteered to teach me at her home after school and on weekends for advanced lessons, and convinced my parents to allow her to take me to area competitions, and museums during the spring breaks and summer vacations..

I am not writing this to add to the titillation of the subject, but to tell those that think this is all innocent fun. I never recovered from this, although as it progressed, I began to believe this was somehow normal, I never called her anything but Miss ###, and she always just used me as a tool for her pleasure, for the almost 18 months this lasted. I even began to think she was my girlfriend, and I started to learn boxing in the event that I was confronted by her husband..

I never thought of myself as a normal teenager after that, and my early encounters with girls my own age were always clumsy, and thought of as perverted by the girls that had natural feelings for me, because I manipulated the young girls to move into sex, much too quickly. I began to date only older girls that were advanced and had bad reputations because I had expectations beyond my years..

I had no normal childhood after that experience, and poor relationships with women in general until my 3rd marriage. I just thought you should know..

Not/so/fast ... you had a traumatizing experience when you were in the 5th grade and I am sorry to hear it.

If you were 18 when this happened do you think it would have been so traumatizing or would it have been a different story?

I'm thinking it would have been different.

For those of you who are saying "if it had been an older male and a girl you would be ...."

IF it had been an older man and an underage the age of consent girl, yes I would.

IF it had been an older man and an 18 year old girl and the man wasn't a teacher in Texas we wouldn't even be hearing about it.

IF the issue was a result of being forced to have sex, regardless of the peoples age I would be asking for the opportunity to make sure it never happened again.

The IF in your statements are just that ... IF

The only reason this is news is because the older person involved was a teacher and in Texas a teacher may not have a relationship with a student, regardless of age. To put that in perspective, IF the teacher was in her mid 30's and her student was in his early 50's and they had a relationship, she could be tried for a crime and potentially spend 20 years in jail. Is this right? In this situation I would say not even close to right.

Don't you expect the teachers in your community to be able to control themselves around your children? How about if the sexes were reversed, or it was a same sex relationship? Would you have the same non-chalant reaction? I'm just trying to ferret out the hypocracy here.

Jed7

The "child" was 17 or 18 and in his prime, sexually. It appears that the age of consent is 17 in Texas - I don't know this as a fact and admit I could be wrong.

The point of Mike-679507's post is "I pity the poor husband" - did you miss the point? I think so.

I would not have either.

I am sure that there are a lot more of these happening around us, than the ones get reported. Where the boys are smarter enough to know not to report and ruin the fun.

I doubt the husband thinks so.

FYI, Donald, pedophilia is an attraction to prepubescent girls. It's a disease that needs treatment.

pedophiles can not be treated. their brains are simply wired wrong. you can either lock them up permanently or execute them but you cannot rehabilitate them.

but you cannot rehabilitate them.

Control is something that can be taught.

You can't teach them to not like children, but you can condition them so they can express the urge to touch the children in less harmful ways.

@Some-Guy

Your definition of pedophilia is incorrect.

pe-do-phil-ia - sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object.

Donald Prince - you are an IDIOT!

that's why they are framing her. Preacher boy set her up. The only trauma this young man will have is from being the center of a scandal and the guilt of having a woman that he probably seduced, go to jail because of his actions.

It takes 2 to tango.

You got three thumbs up for that asinine statement really? Of course we teach Science here, we teach BOTH, that way children can decide/think for themselves.

Couldn't agree more. Taught for more than 25 years and I can tell you, NOT ONE of those students ever turned me on.