Special Ed Teacher Had Sex with Student: Cops
As a teacher, having sex with a student even after you're no longer teaching them is generally frowned upon.
Why? Well if you're a high school teacher it could be because sex with a minor is illegal.
That's the lesson for 34-year-old Kelly McKenzy Watson who was arrested Thursday for allegedly having sex with a minor. She had previously taught the young man although she was no longer his teacher.
Watson taught at the New Haven Youth and Family Services facility back in 2011. She was a special education teacher at the residential facility for boys with behavioral and emotional problems.
Watson left the school in August 2011 but allegedly stayed in touch with one of her students.
They dated for several months and had an inappropriate sexual relationship, according to police.
Having sex with a minor is statutory rape since minors cannot legally give consent. The age of consent varies among states but in California it is 18.
The difference in age between sexual partners can affect the seriousness of a statutory rape charge. Force or consent do not affect the charges since the act itself is a crime under the rules of strict liability.
A teacher having sex with a student isn't itself legal. But in many situations it involves statutory rape or sexual harassment which are illegal.
If you suspect a sexual relationship between your child and a teacher, always report it and consider whether you want to take legal action.
Sex with a student is almost always a violation of school rules and can result in disciplinary action as well.
Authorities do not believe that the sexual relationship started until after Watson left New Haven, reports New York Daily News.
Watson is currently a teacher at Oceanside High School in Oceanside, California. She's been placed on paid administrative leave pending resolution of the claims that she had sex with a student.
Related Resources:
- California Special Education Teacher Arrested For Allegedly Having Sex With A Student (The Inquisitr)
- Tucson Teacher Had Sex with Student; Guilty of Felony Sex Charge (Phoenix Criminal Law News)
- Arkansas Teacher-Student Sex Ban Overturned by State Supreme Court (FindLaw's Decided)