Over the last nine years, improper student-teacher relationships have continued to increase. Specifically, in Texas, there was been a 42% in reported incidents from the previous year alone and a 249% increase from a decade ago. The Texas Education Agency currently has nine investigators and a supervisor to handle the cases. The state even passed a law known as the “Pass the Trash” bill which requires public school principals and superintendents to report inappropriate relationships or face jail time and a fine.
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| Sarah Fowlkes |
Among the teachers who were investigated over the last year was Lockhart High School science teacher Sarah Fowlkes, who gained notoriety for smiling in her mug shot. A 17-year-old student told investigators that she touched his genitals and that he touched her breasts, according to an arrest affidavit. Sarah Madden Fowlkes, 28, submitted her plea which would require her to serve four years deferred adjudication, pay a fine and surrender her teacher’s license. Her lawyer, Jason Nassour, had previously claimed Fowlkes looked so cheerful in her mugshot because she was innocent. “This isn’t a guilty person sitting there like they just got caught when everything’s fleshed out, it won’t be as it appears.” She was accused of engaging in “sexual content with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire” of the student in March 2017, according to reports at the time. Detectives launched the investigation after getting a tip from a school administrator. The probe led them to the boy, who had been in touch with Fowlkes, cops said. “Their contact was of a sexual nature,” police said. She was suspended after turning herself into police.
Some have attributed the growth of teacher misconduct cases to increased vigilance of recognizing and reporting improper behavior among teachers and administrators. Much of the awareness has been ushered in by state lawmakers, who made stopping improper teacher-student relationships a priority during this year’s legislative session.
Sources:
https://www.statesman.com/news/20170915/statesman-exclusive-improper-teacher-student-relationship-cases-soar
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/texas-sees-42-percent-rise-in-inappropriate-student-teacher-relationship-investigations/287-603454361
https://nypost.com/2018/10/12/teacher-who-smiled-for-mugshot-pleads-guilty-to-sex-with-student/
I find it quite insane that people can possibly consider the consequences of having an affair with not only a minor but a student. A student that she signed a contract when she was hired specifically restricting her from any relations with a student beyond being their teacher and mentor. I also feel like another factor in the increase of teacher student misconduct apart from increased awareness for it, is the societal views that have come around in our society. The culture around sex and sexuality has become alot more liberal and that may attribute to the reasoning. I dont know thats far fetched but just a thought. Great post! you transitioned well between the intro to the topic, a specific example and the conclusion.
ReplyDeleteIt is really intriguing how there has been a rise in misconduct issues. However, is the rise proportional to our current population growth? Specifically, has there been a strong disparity between the percent increase in reported crimes and the increase in student population? I really liked how you utilized a specific example in order to bolster your argument and tell the story.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what causes these kinds of cases to happen, as there is such a big age and maturity difference. Often when we think of pedophiles we picture an old, creepy man, but this case shows that they can be anyone. It is also disturbing that these type of issues have been on the rise. Was she given any jail time? This was really well written and included a lot of facts and information in a short paragraph!
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