But, in all seriousness, this seems a little overblown. These were not small children but 16 and 17 year old young men. Unless they were suffering from a mental disability that impeded their ability to consent, how can anyone say (especially in a society as sexualized as ours) that they are ‘victims’ of getting to have relations with a very attractive older woman?
Not really. Keep an eye out next time it's a male teacher and female students.
Trust me. Female students are not all that innocent in the ways of the world. I knew some even in my day in high school who would seduce a male teacher without a second thought.
The point was the double standard that's applied in these cases. Regardless of where one stands on the morality of the situation, at the very least a teacher in this situation has abused his or her position of authority and betrayed a trust.
If it were anyone else, politician and aide, doctor and patient, male teacher and whoever, the tar would be boiling and the knife would be ground down (to dull it)....
“These were not small children but 16 and 17 year old young men.”
Minors lack the legal capacity to give consent. Rule of law.
As a father, who was married while still a teenager, to another teenager, I can see different perspectives. (19 year old boy with 17 year old girl, in our case).
But here is a teacher in her 30s, teaching learning diabled children under the legal age of consent.
I say throw the legal book at her.