loboloco
Well-known member
Ok, personally I don't have a dog in this fight. I can see the views on both sides of this and really don't know how I stand on the consensual adult part of this. Underage, yes I have a problem, but once the student is 18, it becomes a little bit more problematic.
My major concern would be the 'put out or flunk' possibility. In which case it is coercion and not consensual.
anybody else's thoughts on this?
Remember these are legally adults we are discussing here.
California bill would punish student-teacher dating
Published March 27, 2012
| Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A 41-year-old high school teacher exchanges thousands of text messages with his student, then leaves his wife and three children to date her. The couple then goes on national TV, saying their relationship didn't become physical until she turned 18.
In California, there's nothing illegal about what they did.
Now, a lawmaker is hoping to change that with a bill rolled out Monday that would make such relationships a felony, even if the student is 18, and strip teachers of their pensions and retiree health care if they are convicted.
To prevent teachers from "grooming" students for relationships when they become adults, the bill would also criminalize seductive communication, such as sexual text messages.
"Our hope is that that will be a pretty strong and painful deterrent and will cause someone to think twice before starting an inappropriate, unethical relationship with a student," said Republican Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, the bill's sponsor.
Olsen is from Modesto, a city about 75 miles south of Sacramento where teacher James Hooker and student Jordan Powers struck up their relationship at Enochs High School. Powers has dropped out, but Hooker's 17-year-old daughter still attends.
The announcement of their relationship made national headlines. In interviews for the "Dr. Phil" show and ABC's "Good Morning America," the couple can be seen holding hands and exchanging smiles. On "Dr. Phil," they were confronted by Powers' mother, Tammie. Online, they have also been criticized.
The couple maintains that, while they exchanged thousands of text messages, their relationship did not become physical until she was 18, meaning that it is completely permissible under current laws.
Hooker and Powers could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Powers moved out of her house, and Hooker's phone is disconnected.
The elder Powers has been touring national talk shows raising the alarm about such relationships, is hoping that Hooker will be arrested and is one of the biggest backers of Olsen's bill.
"I had no legal recourse whatsoever with an 18-year-old, and I believe that the teacher pursued her," said Tammie Powers, who attended a news conference along with Olsen to announce the bill. "So this will be a preventative measure."
Law enforcement officials are investigating the case. In the state, affairs between teachers and of-age students are frowned upon but not illegal. The issue is left to policies set by individual school districts.
If the relationship did not turn physical until recently, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said, there is little that authorities can do.
Christianson added that his time in the high-tech crimes unit showed him the importance of cracking down on inappropriate communication between children and adults. "We know for a fact that pedophiles are predators, and they groom their victims long before they victimize them," he said.
There's no way to know how often these teacher-student relationships develop.
Since her daughter's story broke, Powers said she received more than 5,000 emails from all over the county, many from parents worried that their own children may be in a similar situation.
Teacher having affairs with students over 18 are illegal in 23 states, including Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Connecticut and Kansas, according to Olsen. In some states, it is a felony offense that forbids affairs between them at the same school, regardless of age.
Olsen's bill is one of several measures Republicans are proposing to make it easier for school districts to fire and punish educators who engage in criminal behavior.
One of the measures would strip convicted felons of their state pensions, a bill inspired by the recent case of a former Los Angeles teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd acts against children.
Olsen, who has three children of her own, said teachers need to face harsher punishments when they violate the community's trust by seducing their students. "We think that when we send our kids to school, these are safe and secure positive learning environments," she said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-punish-student-teacher-dating/#ixzz1qcexJtCr
Arkansas Supreme Court overturns teacher-sex law
Published March 29, 2012
| FoxNews.com
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the state's law banning sexual contact between teachers and students, finding that people 18 or older have a constitutional right to engage in a consensual sexual relationship.
The court sided with 38-year-old David Paschal, an Elkins High School history and psychology teacher who admitted having a five-month consensual sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student.
"Regardless of how we feel about Paschal's conduct, which could correctly referred to as reprehensible, we cannot abandon our duty to uphold the rule of law when a case presents distasteful facts," wrote Chief Justice Jim Hannah.
Attorneys for the state argued the law protects high school students from sexual advances of teachers who are in positions of authority. But the high court found the law was unconstitutional because it criminalized sexual conduct between consenting adults.
"If the child wants to have sex when they are 18 with their teacher, that is fine," parent Amy Dardenne told Fox 16 News. "They are adults at 18, so they might as well do what they want to do."
In a dissent, Justice Robert Brown said that the majority's opinion will cause disruption in high schools because there will be nothing to prevent teachers from having sex with students who are 18 or older.
"This will cause significant disruption in our high schools and have a deleterious impact on education in general and the teacher-student dynamic in particular," wrote Brown.
It is unclear if the state will appeal the ruling.
"We respect the Court's decision, although we disagree with it," wrote Aaron Sadler, spokesman for Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel in an email. "We are currently evaluating our options, which include seeking a rehearing."
Whether the ruling will or can be addressed through future legislation is also unclear.
"We're reviewing the decision," said Matt DeCample, spokesman for Governor Mike Beebe. "It's way too early to talk about any immediate attempts at a legislative response."
Paschal, who is serving a 30-year sentence, will have his convictions reversed and dismissed. His attorney, Casey Copeland, said his client was "vindicated by the Supreme Court."
"I think that this case does not necessarily say a teacher can do that and keep their job," said Copeland. "I think the loss of job and loss of teacher's license might be appropriate for that, but it's not appropriate to put someone in jail for 30 years."
Several states have laws banning sexual content between teachers and students. Earlier this week, a Republican assemblywoman in California introduced a bill to create a law similar to what was just struck down in Arkansas. If the bill is successful, she said, California would be the 24th state to ban student-teacher sex. In some states, such affairs are a felony.
Click for more on this story from Fox 16
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...ourt-overturns-teacher-sex-law/#ixzz1qcfFIm14
My major concern would be the 'put out or flunk' possibility. In which case it is coercion and not consensual.
anybody else's thoughts on this?
Remember these are legally adults we are discussing here.
California bill would punish student-teacher dating
Published March 27, 2012
| Associated Press
-
AP/The Modesto Bee
Feb. 28, 2012: Enochs High School student Jordan Powers, 18, and James Hooker, 41, talk about their relationship during an interview in Modesto.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A 41-year-old high school teacher exchanges thousands of text messages with his student, then leaves his wife and three children to date her. The couple then goes on national TV, saying their relationship didn't become physical until she turned 18.
In California, there's nothing illegal about what they did.
Now, a lawmaker is hoping to change that with a bill rolled out Monday that would make such relationships a felony, even if the student is 18, and strip teachers of their pensions and retiree health care if they are convicted.
To prevent teachers from "grooming" students for relationships when they become adults, the bill would also criminalize seductive communication, such as sexual text messages.
"Our hope is that that will be a pretty strong and painful deterrent and will cause someone to think twice before starting an inappropriate, unethical relationship with a student," said Republican Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, the bill's sponsor.
Olsen is from Modesto, a city about 75 miles south of Sacramento where teacher James Hooker and student Jordan Powers struck up their relationship at Enochs High School. Powers has dropped out, but Hooker's 17-year-old daughter still attends.
The announcement of their relationship made national headlines. In interviews for the "Dr. Phil" show and ABC's "Good Morning America," the couple can be seen holding hands and exchanging smiles. On "Dr. Phil," they were confronted by Powers' mother, Tammie. Online, they have also been criticized.
The couple maintains that, while they exchanged thousands of text messages, their relationship did not become physical until she was 18, meaning that it is completely permissible under current laws.
Hooker and Powers could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Powers moved out of her house, and Hooker's phone is disconnected.
The elder Powers has been touring national talk shows raising the alarm about such relationships, is hoping that Hooker will be arrested and is one of the biggest backers of Olsen's bill.
"I had no legal recourse whatsoever with an 18-year-old, and I believe that the teacher pursued her," said Tammie Powers, who attended a news conference along with Olsen to announce the bill. "So this will be a preventative measure."
Law enforcement officials are investigating the case. In the state, affairs between teachers and of-age students are frowned upon but not illegal. The issue is left to policies set by individual school districts.
If the relationship did not turn physical until recently, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said, there is little that authorities can do.
Christianson added that his time in the high-tech crimes unit showed him the importance of cracking down on inappropriate communication between children and adults. "We know for a fact that pedophiles are predators, and they groom their victims long before they victimize them," he said.
There's no way to know how often these teacher-student relationships develop.
Since her daughter's story broke, Powers said she received more than 5,000 emails from all over the county, many from parents worried that their own children may be in a similar situation.
Teacher having affairs with students over 18 are illegal in 23 states, including Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Connecticut and Kansas, according to Olsen. In some states, it is a felony offense that forbids affairs between them at the same school, regardless of age.
Olsen's bill is one of several measures Republicans are proposing to make it easier for school districts to fire and punish educators who engage in criminal behavior.
One of the measures would strip convicted felons of their state pensions, a bill inspired by the recent case of a former Los Angeles teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd acts against children.
Olsen, who has three children of her own, said teachers need to face harsher punishments when they violate the community's trust by seducing their students. "We think that when we send our kids to school, these are safe and secure positive learning environments," she said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-punish-student-teacher-dating/#ixzz1qcexJtCr
Arkansas Supreme Court overturns teacher-sex law
Published March 29, 2012
| FoxNews.com
-
fox16.com
Arizona Supreme Court
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the state's law banning sexual contact between teachers and students, finding that people 18 or older have a constitutional right to engage in a consensual sexual relationship.
The court sided with 38-year-old David Paschal, an Elkins High School history and psychology teacher who admitted having a five-month consensual sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student.
"Regardless of how we feel about Paschal's conduct, which could correctly referred to as reprehensible, we cannot abandon our duty to uphold the rule of law when a case presents distasteful facts," wrote Chief Justice Jim Hannah.
Attorneys for the state argued the law protects high school students from sexual advances of teachers who are in positions of authority. But the high court found the law was unconstitutional because it criminalized sexual conduct between consenting adults.
"If the child wants to have sex when they are 18 with their teacher, that is fine," parent Amy Dardenne told Fox 16 News. "They are adults at 18, so they might as well do what they want to do."
In a dissent, Justice Robert Brown said that the majority's opinion will cause disruption in high schools because there will be nothing to prevent teachers from having sex with students who are 18 or older.
"This will cause significant disruption in our high schools and have a deleterious impact on education in general and the teacher-student dynamic in particular," wrote Brown.
It is unclear if the state will appeal the ruling.
"We respect the Court's decision, although we disagree with it," wrote Aaron Sadler, spokesman for Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel in an email. "We are currently evaluating our options, which include seeking a rehearing."
Whether the ruling will or can be addressed through future legislation is also unclear.
"We're reviewing the decision," said Matt DeCample, spokesman for Governor Mike Beebe. "It's way too early to talk about any immediate attempts at a legislative response."
Paschal, who is serving a 30-year sentence, will have his convictions reversed and dismissed. His attorney, Casey Copeland, said his client was "vindicated by the Supreme Court."
"I think that this case does not necessarily say a teacher can do that and keep their job," said Copeland. "I think the loss of job and loss of teacher's license might be appropriate for that, but it's not appropriate to put someone in jail for 30 years."
Several states have laws banning sexual content between teachers and students. Earlier this week, a Republican assemblywoman in California introduced a bill to create a law similar to what was just struck down in Arkansas. If the bill is successful, she said, California would be the 24th state to ban student-teacher sex. In some states, such affairs are a felony.
Click for more on this story from Fox 16
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...ourt-overturns-teacher-sex-law/#ixzz1qcfFIm14
He's reinforcing some bad stereotypes about my gender.