Former Teacher Gets 38 Years for Having Sex With Student ("This court does not recognize gender")

The Lakeland Ledger ^ | Tuesday, December 10, 2013 | Peter Jamison

[Sam's Army]

Calling her "a parent's worst nightmare," a judge sentenced former Hillsborough County schoolteacher Ethel Anderson to 38 years in prison Monday for performing oral sex and other lewd acts on a 12-year-old boy she tutored on weekends.

Circuit Judge Chet Tharpe's severe punishment of Anderson seemed designed to send a message in a county that has attracted disproportionate attention for sex scandals involving female educators. The most notorious of them, Debra Lafave, managed to avoid incarceration completely after pleading guilty to sex with a 14-year-old boy.

"There are those that believe that nothing's wrong if the defendant is a woman and the victim is a male," Tharpe said Monday. "This court does not recognize gender. If it's proven, as an adult, that you had sex with a child, you can expect to go to prison."

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Not particularly. However, we do need to get a handle on this problem. As things are now, it is like “acceptable losses” on the battlefield. Which is an unacceptable attitude.

Of the screening that might be used, none will ever be particularly certain; so it would be unfair to not let teachers teach because they might, possibly, someday molest one of their students.

Instead the attitude should be one of mutual protection. First and foremost protecting students, but also protecting teachers from false accusations, and protecting the school and school district from liability.

The alternatives are intensive and intrusive surveillance, which stinks, sentencing teacher who do have sex with their students to draconian prison sentences, etc. It is just better that the opportunity for such things is avoided in the first place.

[Drew68]

This will be overturned on appeal, too excessive.

The race baiters will be pointing out how pretty young white teachers get off with probation...yadda yadda..

I agree. I don't think society is well-served by sending her away for 38 years. As was pointed out, many murderers don't get such long sentences.

And, yes, this only gives ammunition to the long-standing liberal cry of minorities being treated more harshly by the justice system than whites who commit the same crimes. Hot white teachers don't go to prison but frumpy brown ones do.

[steelhead_trout]

Well, Edgar can be a white name, but yeah, it is a bit old fashioned. I still like it better than Jayden, Colton, etc. Blah!

[JimRed]

Yeah, 38 years does seem awfully long. I don’t know exactly how these legal maneuverings work, but I am betting she does not serve more than 2 years.

The judge might be up for reelection, and knows the sentence will be moderated upon appeal.

[sarasmom]

“I know of a whole lotta teachers, guidance counselors, cops, and juevenile officers who would be serving thousands of years if this were the 70’s.”

Really?
I'm not certain I understand your point.
If you meant that their asses would have been tossed under the jail in the 70’s,(if they were not dealt with more physically and privately) I agree.

Any and every sick, sadistic, immoral adult who engages in sexual acts with a child, needs to be dealt with harshly.

She raped a child.