Posted on 01/13/2009 3:59:22 PM PST by Sopater
SEATTLE — Washington state law does not bar teachers from having sex with 18-year-old students.
That's the decision of a three-judge panel of the Washington Court of Appeals, which on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of a case brought against Hoquiam High School's former choir teacher.
The teacher, Matthew Hirschfelder, was charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. He challenged a judge's refusal to dismiss his case. The appeals court unanimously agreed that the state law is vague, and that the Legislature only intended to forbid sexual contact between school employees and students who are 16 or 17.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Another reason to homeschool.
ping...
What you said.
Well, an 18-y/o is an adult. It’s smarmy and disgusting and inappropriate in a school setting, but not criminal.
Gray’s Harbor Ping!
Didn't teachers used to have things like Moral Turpitude clauses inserted in their contracts?
Not illegal, just immoral as hell and damned unethical.
How long, Oh Lord?
It should be criminal. After all school teachers are jack booted state thugs who must be constantly monitored by the courts lest they proselytize all the Jewish kids to the Baptist church. Why would we allow such untrustworthy people to seek sexual congress with the students?!(/s)
What do you think about a psychotherapist or a doctor having sex with adult patients? Think that's cool?
“So, Susie, I hear your 18th birthday is coming up next week. Want to earn an easy A?”
It’s all about power. That’s why some states instituted laws that protect even 18-year-old students from teachers who have authority over them and don’t have their students’ best interests in mind.
Well that goes beyond “the State”, that goes against one of the basic tenents of the beliefs in psychotherapy. Therefore the profession takes care of themselves.
It’s unethical, but not illegal.
Not a state problem. If the school district policy forbids it, then they can do whatever discipline the event warrants, but it’s not a crime.
I’m sure the first order of business for the legislature in Olympia will be to rewrite the law to tighten up this particular loophole.
I think this is one unintended consequence of the current fad of holding back a child so he is 6 or 7 years old before starting Kindergarten (”redshirting”).
It means he will be a legal adult in high school.
I sent all my kids to Kindergarten when they were 5, so when they are legal adults, they’ll be done with high school and moving out to college or elsewhere.
I should hope they would *want* to be doing that at age 18, rather than still living with Mommy and having sex with their high school teachers.
“Not illegal, just immoral as hell and damned unethical.”
I agree 100%. When I taught in grad school, my students were all above the age of 18, too (average age was around 20, actually). I still didn’t even CONSIDER the idea of having an out-of-the-classroom relationship with any of them. It would have been unethical, unprofessional, and just plain wrong. Some things you just don’t do, simple as that.
Wow — I had no idea that even at FreeRepublic we’ve got folks who have no clue regarding the ethics of a Teacher/Pupil relationship in a public school environment..
In a sane world - this 33 year old chicken hawk’s least concern would be his punishment under the law.....
Too many of these damned “teachers” confuse the “No kid left behind — with no kid’s behind left alone”..
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