Free Republic

After hearing oral arguments this afternoon about the constitutionality of Alabama's law prohibiting school employees from having sex with students, Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson said he has "a lot of reading to do."Thompson said he needs to study written arguments that previously were submitted before he rules on whether the law is unconstitutional. The question of constitutionality is being raised by defense attorneys for a former Decatur High School teacher and an ex-aid who worked at Falkville High School. Both schools are in Morgan County.Carrie Witt, 43, taught history, psychology and social studies and coached girls' golf and junior varsity...

If a priest is accused of inappropriately touching a minor, it makes the news. When other segments of society—teachers, Hollywood studio executives, therapists—are accused, the media show much less interest, and sometimes practically none at all. The latter is now evident in the way most media outlets treated the story about USA Gymnastics that broke last week. Over the years, IndyStar, the home page of the Indianapolis Star, has done fine work covering the sexual abuse of gymnasts, but nothing can compare with the report it released on December 15. It is the most comprehensive examination of USA Gymnastics ever...

What are parents to do when their child comes home from school with stories about "this creepy guy in my class" – and it turns out to be the teacher? That’s a very real concern for parents with children in New York City public schools, where 14 teachers of highly dubious character have been reinstated to the classroom – and two others have been given "desk duty" – thanks to appeals by their powerful teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers. NYDailyNews.com reports that 16 teachers "kept their jobs after being brought up on egregious charges, some sexual, some involving...

DERRY, N.H. — A former high school teacher won’t be going to jail after pleading guilty Monday to a charge she e-mailed nude photographs of herself to a 15-year-old student at Londonderry High School. "I am truly sorry for my actions and poor judgment," Melinda Dennehy said in court after the judge agreed to her negotiated plea to a misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure. She originally faced a felony count.

What a couple of boobs. The reckless rendezvous that brought down a pair of female teachers at Brooklyn's "Horndog High" started with a boozy outing at a local bar - and ended with a sexy stripdown in a darkened classroom, investigators found. James Madison High School Spanish teacher Alini Brito and French instructor Cindy Mauro face the ax over the forbidden tryst last fall. They earned national notoriety - and now, a report by city High School Superintendent Linda Waite, recently obtained by The News, gives the first detailed account of their fateful night of fun: Brito and Mauro started...

Leavenworth, Kan. — A former Pleasant Ridge High School teacher has been charged with having sexual relations with a student, a prosecution official said. Shannon Young, 36, Lansing, has been charged with three counts of unlawful sexual relations. She was arrested on a warrant Tuesday, according to County Attorney Todd Thompson. Thompson said Young probably wouldn’t make her first court appearance until Wednesday morning. Young allegedly had consensual sexual relations with a 17-year-old boy. The crimes are alleged to have occurred between Aug. 1 and June 2.

(Brooklyn, New York) A scandal broke over the past two days at James Madison High School. Two language teachers, Cindy Mauro (33) and Alini Brito (29), were allegedly caught naked together in a classroom by a janitor. Then another female teacher, Alison Musacchio (31), was accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a male student. School authorities are investigating. I'd suggest they also might want to review what they are telling new hires during orientation.

A Queens teacher and her student were recently caught having sex in the classroom. On Thursday she was behind bars, charged with rape, sexual abuse and child endangerment after the student's mom tracked her down. Her head hung low, Melissa Weber was ushered away in cuffs, no doubt thinking about the probable end to her teaching career and whether her alleged sexual rendezvous with her 14-year-old student had been worth it. "It's real disconcerting to find that," said parent and school employee Stacy Gold.

The case of a 13-year-old Arizona girl strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain-reliever will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this week. The justices in January accepted the Safford school district case for review, and will decide whether a campus setting gives school administrators greater discretion to control students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed in cases involving adults in general public spaces. The case is centered around Savana Redding, now 19, who in 2003 was an eighth-grade honors student at Safford Middle School, about 127 miles from Tucson, Arizona. Redding was strip-searched by school...

STOCKTON, Calif. - A 24-year-old English teacher has been arrested after being accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student, Stockton police said. Christina Oliver works at Ronald E. McNair High School in Stockton and is employed by the Lodi Unified School District, assistant Chief of Police Blair Ulring said. Police said they got a call from a parent who said he thought his son was sexually involved with a teacher at the school.

The paradigm has shifted. Dating is dated. Hooking up is here to stay. ... To help me understand this phenomenon, I called Kathleen Bogle, a professor at La Salle University in Philadelphia who has studied hooking up among college students and is the author of the 2008 book, “Hooking Up: Sex, Dating and Relationships on Campus.” It turns out that everything is the opposite of what I remember. Under the old model, you dated a few times and, if you really liked the person, you might consider having sex. Under the new model, you hook up a few times and,...

A Sheridan High School teacher, 27-year-old Melissa Snow, was suspended from her job and free on bail after her arrest Wednesday by Denver police on a charge of having sex with a male student. She posted $50,000 bond on charges of sexual assault by a person in a position of trust and sexual assault with a pattern of behavior. The latter charge resulted from suspicion "that this happened more than once," said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson, who would not elaborate on the details. The tip that led to the arrest was provided by a school employee, but Sheridan police...

CHICAGO -- The principal of Spring Grove Elementary School was in a Wisconsin jail Tuesday night on charges of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl. Daniel Markofsky, 47, of Richmond, was caught over the weekend in Glendale, Wis., at a Super Motel 8 with two teen sisters, 15 and 16, according to police. Police alleged Markofsky and the two girls were smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol and watching pornographic material. The sisters were from the Milwaukee area, according to police. The Chicago Tribune reported that on Saturday a Glendale police officer knocked on the door of his room after smelling marijuana, according...

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Friday detained for questioning a TV channel reporter who conducted a sting operation on a government school teacher in an attempt to show that she was running a prostitution racket. "Prakash Singh, the television reporter of Live India, was asked to join investigation by the police but he refused. He was ultimately picked up for investigation on Friday," a senior police officer said. His detention comes a day after police arrested a girl who appeared in the TV sting operation posing as a student. She was arrested on charges of "criminal conspiracy, cheating and fabricating...

LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. -- A former Laurens County teacher pleaded guilty Thursday to having sex with at least five students. Allenna Williams Ward, 23, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Bell Middle School, had sex with several students in cars, parks, a hotel and at the school. She pleaded guilty Thursday to six charges -- three second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three lewd acts on a minor. Family members and her attorneys accompanied her as she made an emotional statement to the court. She said, "Today, I publicly admit my guilt and would like to apologize. I...

<p>ALBUQUERQUE — A former Albuquerque Public School teacher is charged with four counts of felony voyeurism after being accused of using a video camera to shoot up the skirts of young girls at an amusement park.</p> <p>Christopher Lucero, 24, was arrested about 7 p.m. Monday at his home in northwest Albuquerque after allegedly stalking and taking pictures of girls over the weekend at Cliff's Amusement Park.</p>

The Delaware House of Representatives approved a bill on Tuesday that eliminates the two-year statute of limitations for child abuse for suits for damages due to personal injuries caused by the sexual abuse of a child by an adult. Now, in Delaware, the victim of sexual abuse will have more time to sue for civil damages. The statute was two years. Under the new legislation it will be 25 years, the second longest statute of limitations in the country. But wait! Does this new statute of limitations apply to everyone? Durn ... I'm sure glad you asked. Turns out it...

House lawmakers in Delaware approved a bill yesterday that eliminated the two-year statute of limitations for victims of child sex abuse, but it does not apply to public school teachers. An attempt by Rep. Greg Lavelle to pass an amendment waiving immunity for government workers failed (he will try again). The bill now goes back to the Senate. Leading the charge to protect the teachers is Sen. Karen Peterson. Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows: “The degree of corruption in the Delaware legislature is matched only by the selective indignation its lawmakers have for child rape. The legislators...

A Glenbard East High School driver's education teacher has been charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student, police said Thursday. George A. Langlotz, 58, of the 2300 block of Hartford Court in Naperville surrendered to police Wednesday on a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and was released from custody after posting $10,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in Will County Court July 11.

A former principal who kissed the feet of three male students to settle a bet on a volleyball game entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor sex charge. Holloway told authorities he paid each student $15 and kissed their bare feet 50 times each in the school's library and gym to pay off the bet on a student-teacher volleyball game. "It's not behind me yet," Holloway said as he left court. Carpentiere said 400 photos depicting adult foot fetish behavior were found on two school computers seized from Holloway's office. The photos depicted the scenarios that he had engaged in...