The trust that students often have in their teachers is typically well-placed. Most teachers want to see their students succeed in and out of the classroom and want to a play a part in bettering those students’ lives. Unfortunately, there are some predatory individuals who will abuse that trust and their position in a student’s life to commit sexual abuse.
It was recently reported that a former New Mexico high school teacher was taken into custody in relation to illegal sexual activity that took place with a student in 2017. According to reports, the female teacher abused a female student for several months when the student was 15 years old. The information came to light recently when the student told her therapist about the abuse, which caused the therapist to report the situation to the police.
Representatives for the school at which the abuse occurred indicated that they had moved the girl out of the teacher’s class after an unspecified incident but that nothing sexual had occurred. Now, the former teacher is facing the following criminal charges:
- Sexual contact of a minor
- Criminal sexual penetration of a minor
- Contributing to the delinquency of a minor
It can often take years for survivors of sexual abuse to feel confident enough to discuss what happened to them. Fortunately, even years after such incidents, survivors may still be able to take legal action against their abusers. Such cases can be complicated, which is why it is often beneficial to have compassionate and experienced legal counsel when dealing with such matters.