Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationships
Teachers' inappropriate relationships with students are a growing problem that must be addressed to prevent harm to young people. If you or someone you know has experienced an inappropriate relationship with an educator, you have legal rights and options. We can help you understand them and pursue justice.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, over 350 teachers were arrested for sexual misconduct-related criminal charges, and at least 2-3 reports are currently making headlines every week.
- Many students involved in inappropriate teacher-student relationships may not initially label the experience as harmful, tell someone they trust, or seek help for various reasons.
- Students have legal rights and options if they have been subjected to inappropriate behavior by a teacher. Those options include reporting the conduct to the school district, filing a report with law enforcement, and potentially filing a lawsuit against the school district for the harm that happened to them.
What Is Considered an Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationship?
Unfortunately, the data shows that school staff, coaches, teachers, and other educators have inappropriate relationships with students at an alarmingly high rate. For example, a 2004 U.S. Department of Education study found an estimated 10 percent of K-12 students will experience sexual misconduct by a school employee by the time they finish high school. Given that this study was conducted over 20 years ago—before the digital age and the rise of social media and texting—these numbers are likely much higher now.
In 2023 alone, nearly 350 public educators were arrested for child sex-related crimes. And these were just the ones who were arrested—we know that sexual-based offenses are underreported and under-prosecuted within the United States.
While the data above is explicitly related to sexual offenses by teachers and educators, inappropriate teacher-student relationships can take many forms and do not typically start with sexual misconduct. In general, teachers begin with grooming tactics designed to build trust and manipulate the young person and then slowly introduce a sexual dynamic.
Understanding the nature of these relationships can be very hard for students as they are likely to believe the other person’s affection and intentions are genuine. However, teacher-student relationships involve an inherent power dynamic regardless of the ages of the parties involved, allowing teachers to exploit young students who may be caught up in their feelings. Teachers of any gender or age can perpetrate inappropriate teacher-student relationships, and they can target anyone.
- What Is Considered an Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationship?
- Examples of Inappropriate Teacher Behavior
- Rights and Options for Students Impacted by Inappropriate Teacher Relationships
- Teachers Arrested for Relationships with Students & Lawsuits Filed Against Schools – August 2024
- Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
Examples of Inappropriate Teacher Behavior
In general, determining that an inappropriate relationship with a teacher is occurring can be difficult, especially in the early stages of the process.
The following list of inappropriate teacher behavior toward students can help young people and their parents identify and stop problematic behavior:
- The teacher asks personal questions about romantic relationships with other students, whether the student likes older boys or girls, etc.
- The teacher flirts with a student. Students should trust their gut on whether this is happening.
- The teacher makes suggestive comments about a student’s appearance, including cleavage showing, length of shorts or skirts, or tightness of clothing.
- The teacher tells a student about their own romantic or sexual relationships with others, such as marriage troubles, dating app usage, etc.
- The teacher suggests that the student spend time with them before or after school or at lunch. This may be done under the guise of helping with schoolwork, but they don’t focus on school material in these sessions.
- The teacher engages in seemingly innocent touching more than once, such as touching an arm, leg, or face or brushing up against someone’s body.
- The teacher asks for or seeks out a student’s social media profiles or phone number. The teacher might view the student’s profile, comment on posts, or send direct messages to the student.
- The teacher drives a student to or from school or school-related events like sporting events or performances.
- The teacher engages in overt sexual misconduct, including touching intimate areas, molestation, groping, exposing their genitals, asking for or sending photos regardless of whether they are sexual, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, and rape.
In many cases, the student even considers the behavior within the confines of a “consensual” relationship. However, in most jurisdictions, minors lack the legal capacity to consent to sexual conduct.
If you or someone you know has experienced any of these behaviors, you have the right to stop the harm from continuing and happening to others. You also have several options to address the conduct and seek justice for the harm. Contact us at Helping Survivors to learn more about these options based on your specific facts and circumstances.
Rights and Options for Students Impacted by Inappropriate Teacher Relationships
Inappropriate behavior by a teacher or educator can have long-lasting harmful impacts on a student. Many young people who experience this type of harm may not tell anyone about it as it is happening. They may not even disclose it for months or years after the experience for various reasons, including fear of retaliation, fear of not being believed, shame, and guilt.
However, an inappropriate teacher-student relationship is never the student’s fault, regardless of the circumstances. Teachers are adults and should never engage in such inappropriate behavior.
Depending on the circumstances, you may consider reporting the inappropriate behavior to the authorities. A prosecutor will then consider whether to file criminal charges. You may also be eligible to file a civil lawsuit.
If you are still under 18, your rights and options will differ from those who are over 18 and experienced the harm years ago.
The student’s rights and options will depend on the unique facts and circumstances of their experience. Every action should be taken with their autonomy and desires in mind. However, the applicable statutes of limitations impose deadlines for filing criminal charges and civil lawsuits. The deadlines for criminal charges and civil suits differ. They also vary from state to state.
Thus, speaking to an experienced teacher sexual abuse attorney as soon as possible is critical. They can help you understand your options, advise you on the processes, and protect your legal rights.
Helping Survivors works with a network of law firms that offer free consultations and take these cases on a contingent fee basis. This means there are no upfront costs, and the firm only gets paid if and when you win. Contact us today for more information.
Report the Teacher to School or School Board
If abuse is actively occurring, we first recommend the student tell a trusted adult. This could be a parent, a trusted teacher, or even a friend’s parents. Write down everything you can remember, including dates, times, places, parties involved, any potential witnesses or evidence, and an account of what happened.
Next, research the official process for filing a report with the school and the school board. Each school district may have different processes for this, which can generally be found on the school district’s website.
We recommend speaking with an experienced attorney before filing an official report. The attorney can review your report and ensure your legal rights are protected. Reach out to us—we can answer your questions and connect you with an experienced and knowledgeable attorney today.
If you have already filed an official report and an investigation has not occurred, the investigation did not result in disciplinary action against the teacher, or the report resulted in retaliation against the student, contact us immediately. We can refer you to an experienced attorney who can advise you on the best path forward.
Report the Teacher to Law Enforcement
We understand that reporting the conduct to law enforcement is a very personal decision, and many individuals do not immediately report it for various reasons. First and foremost, if the student is still a minor, this process should only be done with their informed consent and full knowledge.
An individual has the right to file a police report at any time. This generally must be done at the local police precinct in the jurisdiction where the harm occurred.
Many people choose to take someone with them, such as a friend or family member. A local nonprofit may be able to provide a trained advocate to accompany you.
Crime victims have little to no control over what happens after a police report is filed. They have little influence on whether an investigation occurs or criminal charges are filed. Law enforcement tends to take reports of teacher sexual misconduct seriously, but prosecutors’ ability to pursue criminal charges depends on a variety of factors, including the statute of limitations and the availability of evidence. Thus, reporting the misconduct to the police as soon as possible is critical.
Even if the report doesn’t result in criminal charges, it can still play an important role in addressing the behavior by creating a paper trail documenting the abuse. Such documentation may help the school board hold the perpetrator accountable. In addition, it can provide valuable evidence if you choose to pursue civil litigation against the school or school district in the future.
File a Teacher Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Many students do not think about filing a lawsuit after experiencing an inappropriate relationship with a teacher, coach, or other school staff member. They may not know this is even an option or feel that seeking monetary compensation isn’t the “right thing to do.”
However, filing a teacher sexual abuse lawsuit isn’t just about seeking monetary compensation for the harm. It can also create a public record of the individual’s behavior and the school’s response. It may also force the school district to make necessary reforms, such as requiring better background checks or conducting a thorough review of all employee behavior.
Each state has a statute of limitations imposing a deadline for filing a civil lawsuit. These deadlines vary by state, with many only providing 2-5 years to file suit after harm occurs.
Thus, speaking to an experienced teacher sexual abuse attorney as soon as possible is critical. They can determine your eligibility, help you understand the process, and advise you about potential outcomes. You may also need to take steps such as reporting the abuse to law enforcement or the school board before filing a civil lawsuit. An experienced attorney can help walk you through those steps.
Most lawsuits regarding inappropriate teacher-student relationships involve allegations that the school or district knew about the harm and did not act to prevent it. They also typically involve escalated inappropriate behavior, such as sending or receiving nude photos, physical sexual assault, or rape.
We are here to listen and advocate for you.
Teachers Arrested for Relationships with Students & Lawsuits Filed Against Schools - August 2024
There were nearly 350 teachers arrested for sexual abuse in 2023 alone. Many students and former students also filed civil lawsuits against schools for their mishandling of reporting and investigating sexual misconduct by teachers.
In 2024, there seems to be at least a handful of teacher sexual abuse arrests documented by the media every week. These news reports show the mounting epidemic of inappropriate teacher-student relationships. Meanwhile, law enforcement has become more focused on stopping such harm as soon as possible.
The following are a few notable recent cases of inappropriate teacher-student relationships. However, there are hundreds to thousands more cases throughout the United States.
Predator’s Playground: Rosemead High School
Business Insider reporter Matt Drange, a former Rosemead High School student, has written a series of articles detailing numerous allegations of sexual abuse against multiple teachers at the school and the leadership’s alleged inactions in handling the misconduct.
In this series, Drange has corroborated dozens of incidents involving at least 20 different educators, with inappropriate behavior ranging from lewd remarks about students’ bodies to statutory rape. He stated that grooming was so rampant in a few of the cases that more than one educator would target the same student, and many teachers had multiple victims over multiple years.
The school is now under investigation, and many individuals have been fired. Meanwhile, the El Monte Union High School District is facing a lawsuit from three former female students for sexual abuse by teachers at Rosemead High School.
Rachel Elizabeth Whiteside: Ankeny Middle School Teacher Arrested
Rachel Elizabeth Whiteside, a math teacher at the Northview Middle School in the Ankeny Community School District, was arrested in February 2024 on several criminal charges, including sexual abuse, four counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee, and lascivious conduct with a minor.
An inappropriate relationship with a student allegedly started in 2015 and lasted several years. The criminal investigation reportedly began after another Ankeny school district employee alerted the Ankeny Police Department.
It is alleged that Whiteside groomed the student starting at 14 years old and continued the abuse until the victim was 23 years old. Whiteside allegedly started by making the student share intimate life details and bought the victim gifts. She then engaged in instances of sexual intercourse within her classroom and pushed for an actual relationship with the student, writing “Happy Anniversary” in an email sent to the victim on January 14, 2022.
Heather Hare: From Good Morning America Appearance to Criminal Conviction
Heather Hare, a former Arkansas high school teacher, once appeared on Good Morning America to showcase a video made by students. Four years later, in May 2024, she was sentenced to 13 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of unlawful sexual activity.
Authorities said Hare met the minor student on the first day of their senior year at Bryant High School and quickly began one-on-one counseling sessions with them. She eventually gave the student her personal phone number and sent messages over Instagram and Snapchat.
From there, her inappropriate behavior escalated to sexual activity between 20 to 30 times throughout the 2021-2022 school year, including multiple times in her home, her vehicle, her classroom, and the school’s parking lots.
William Carawan: Elementary School Teacher Convicted of Child Sexual Abuse Against Four Students
William Charles Carawan, a former Bell Elementary School teacher since 2016, was arrested in 2022 and charged with sexually battering at least four students multiple times between 2019 and 2022. He was convicted in May 2024 on charges of capital sexual battery and two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12 by a person over 18.
All his victims are believed to have been under 12 when the abuse occurred.
The above cases started when brave individuals came forward and told someone they trusted, seeking help and healing. We are here to help individuals impacted by inappropriate teacher behavior and relationships and can help you understand how to take the next step.
Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
