Lincoln High teacher charged with rape of students

The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) ^ | February 7, 2014 | Stacia Glenn

[ConservativeStatement]

There were naked photographs in the bathtub, sexual text messages and furtive kisses exchanged during a Lincoln High School assembly.

Those are among the accusations leveled against Meredith Powell, a 24-year-old math teacher who pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of third-degree child rape and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes for alleged inappropriate conduct with three students.

[ConservativeStatement]

Perhaps the boys intentionally flunked square roots to focus on after-school distributive properties.

[skinkinthegrass]

your mathematical theorem may be correct.

[Riverine]

I’m thinkin’ not guilty...

[occamrzr06]

I’m thinkin’ not guilty...

Final answer? Or do you want a lifeline?

[varyouga]

so not guilty she should be compensated. I'm sorry but this is the dream of every teenage boy. The only trauma they will experience is getting their hands bruised after all the high fives. Girls are obviously different and will experience trauma from feeling used. Female sexuality is far more valuable and emotional.

[twister881]

If it’s male teacher & female student, prosecute. If the reverse, chalk it up to sex end & shut up about.

Was so hormone driven in HS that I wanted every girl not completely unfortunate looking, plus my Biology & French teachers (yes, both female).

Flames coming, but that’s it.

[lee martell]

I think the geometry problem was something about fitting a square peg into a...Oh, never mind. Let’s just say typical boys in 1960 or 2014 act the same way about certain opportunities, when served up on a silver platter.

[Mortrey]

Teach is a pervert...fire her, sue her and take away her pension.

“Journalist” is an idiot:

“...naked photographs...”— sorry—pet peeve of mine; photographs are not naked; STUDENTS are.

(where can I sign up to be a “journalist”? I could use the work.)

[lee martell]

This is a woman who knows how to flirt, and send signals, secret messages. Especially that second photo. Very suggestive, with the low-eyed glance, the light touching-of- top-lift. She is NOT what I’d call “Innocent-Innnocent.”
What I don’t get is what goes through the mind of someone at that moment. It takes a lot of training and testing to become a teacher. You are willing to throw it all away, disgrace your family, and for what? some junior high schooler still getting an allowance and on a curfew? Something about their trainning is promoting this. I do not know what it could be. Just like something in the recent training for police officers makes a violent confrontation far more likely today than it would have been twenty years ago. But what? And who is gaining by promoting this behavior?

[ladyjane]

Yikes. You’re right. She’s pulling her shirt out like she wants to be pregnant. Just look at that!!

[Jet Jaguar]

[The_Media_never_lie]

She just isn’t guilty. Wish I was a jurror. No harm, no foul; just PC run amuck. Where was she when I was in school?

[thecodont]

Girls are obviously different and will experience trauma from feeling used.

TV star Don Johnson in an interview disclosed how he was traumatized by an older woman preying on him when he was in his early teens or around there. He said the experience caused him to mistrust women and hurt his relationships with them.

Female sexuality is far more valuable and emotional.

By saying male sexuality isn't valuable, you are dishonoring men.

[tanknetter]

Something about their trainning is promoting this. I do not know what it could be.

I'm not convinced that this is anything new (and I'm not saying that to dismiss the seriousness of the matter). I think it's just with the internet and adjusting of attitudes it 1.) Gets reported more often and 2.) the teacher is dealt with via the legal system.

I went to an all-boys high school. There were several young and attractive female teachers (and a couple that would definitely fall into the "MILF" category). Most of them flirted with the students (although they may have seen it more as bantering than flirting). But there were a couple where there were definitely rumors of after school extracurricular activities. Both were gone from the school over the Summers following the rumors starting, without any acknowledgement of them having left or information on where they'd gone to. They pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth, which was admittedly easier in the early-mid 1980s.

Again, not dismissing or diminishing the seriousness of this sort of thing, but my guess is that it really always has been prevalent, just not as visible as it can be made in today's environment.

[varyouga]

They were 15-18 year old boys. Not middle schoolers. I was already pretty much independent at 15-16. Running my own business and had no curfew. I moved out at 17, just a few months shy of 18.

The sex drive is very strong in some people and they will risk anything to indulge it. Society is very sexually open and technology also makes getting together easier.

[Fightin Whitey]

Just look at that!!

I am! I am!

[bigbob]

Where can I sign up to be a teacher? I could use the...

(just kidding).. but sheesh, it’s been a while since we’ve heard a refrain of The Hottie Teacher Blues.

Maybe they should Photoshop these teachers graduation photos onto a jail jumpsuit, just so they can see what they’d look like doing the perp walk.

[babygene]

This was wrong for her to do, but frankly, I don’t think this is going to have a negative effect on the boys at all... It certainly wouldn’t have had a negative effect on me at that age.

If she had had such a relationship with a female student, I would have put her away for life. Because she would have damaged them. Or if she had been forty something, the same thing... However, in this case the age difference was not that great.

She used bad judgment and she should probably loose her job. But no criminal charges.

[babygene]

“By saying male sexuality isn’t valuable, you are dishonoring men.”

Your being a goat... This is not going to have a negative effect on the young men at all. It will probably boost their self esteem. If she were a 50 year old hag, that would be different.