Sunday, March 30, 2008

When is reaching out to a student getting too close?

By Letitia Stein, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA — The male student checked out the long auburn hair and light eyes. Who are you?

"Ms. Buchanan," the 25-year-old Hillsborough teacher replied.

I just want to let you know that I'm 18.

"Well, I just want to let you know that you're still 10 years too young for me," said Ashley Buchanan, a first-year teacher.

For the Brandon High School teacher, the lines are clear: Sex with students — or any inappropriate relationship — is an obvious no-no.

But what about text-messaging? Hugs? Handing out a personal cell number?

Teachers can fall into gray areas trying to walk the line between saint and sinner. When is reaching out to a child getting too close? When is it making a difference?

As a young teacher, Buchanan says, she has to be especially careful. Students tell her all the time that she looks like one of them. They jokingly invite her on dates and to the movies.

"I say in the current climate, you can't say things like that. You think it's funny, but you're crossing the line," she said. "They don't understand the consequences of what they say."

The issues aren't always as black and white as the recent spate of teacher sex scandals placing Tampa Bay area schools in the national limelight. Electronic communication, for instance, can be a slippery slope.

The conclusion of this thought provoking article is here.

Note from Gag:

No pic of Ashley Buchanan?! What the hell, St. Pete Times! Quit teasing me!!!

Long Island teacher accused of sex with student

Looks like this one might be able to use the insanity defense...


A well-liked teacher and track coach at a Wantagh school stands accused of statutory rape after police say she had sex with a teenage student.

Heather Kennedy, 25, has taught math at Wantagh High School for three years, officials said, and had a good reputation with students and administrators alike.

But Kennedy was forced from her job teaching 10th- and 11th-graders and into court after she was arrested Wednesday. She was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old in his car after his father contacted police because the boy told him of the tryst, police said. ...

More sordid details including an amusing video here.

Note from Gag:

From the yearbook picture below, it looks like Heather might also be able to use the 'twinkie defense.'

Marinelli Fired Month Ago Over Of 'Concerns'

Marinelli's Mug

LAND O' LAKES - A substitute teacher arrested this week on a charge of having sex with a 17-year-old Mitchell High School student was fired nearly a month ago when Pasco County School District officials first learned of the accusations against her.


Lisa Robyn Marinelli, 40, who was arrested Monday on a charge of unlawful sex with a minor, was fired Feb. 29, records show.

The dismissal letter in her personnel file said she failed to return a call from a human resources supervisor who was trying to contact her about the "serious concerns" about her professional behavior.

"We will no longer be using your services," the letter concluded.

More dirt here.

Note from Gag:

I wish it to be publicly known that I am willing to use Lisa Marinelli's 'services' as long as she doesn't make me shave off my pubes like Pamela Rogers did.

Ohio Teacher Facing Sex Charges



Tabatha Fidler, a teacher from Gorham Fayette high school, is accused of having sex with a
16-year-old student.

A Fulton county teacher could lose her job after being indicted on a charge of sexual battery. The female teacher from Gorham Fayette high school is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student.

Tabatha Fidler, 27, has taught phys. ed. And health at Gorham Fayette high school since 2005. She was also a high school volleyball coach. But if the allegation against her is true, her teaching career could be over.

"My wife has been a teacher in this district for 30 years, she knows this lady. It totally, this rumor, totally blows my mind; I can't imagine that," says Lee Opdyke whose children attended Gorham Fayette....

More info here.

Note from Gag:

I can't imagine this happening to Tabitha Fidler either! When I bought Girl Scout Cookies from her once, she seemed so nice and didn't mention a thing about having the hots for young studs.

School Sex Scandals

The New Tampa Trinity: Ragusa, Spack and Marinelli


Three recent arrests of female teachers have alarmed Florida residents, but experts question whether there's been an uptick of cases.

It was an alarming cluster of cases. On March 13, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida arrested Tampa middle school teacher Stephanie Ragusa, 28, for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old boy in her apartment and in the back seat of her Lexus. One week later, the Tampa Police Department charged Mary Jo Spack, 45, a local high school teacher, with having sex with a 17-year-old male student. That encounter reportedly took place in a motel room, where she had been drinking alcohol with a group of the teen's friends, according to officials. Four days later, yet another case surfaced: Lisa Marinelli, 40, a substitute teacher from the Tampa Bay area, was arrested by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old boy on 10 different occasions, mostly in her car.

The rash of arrests, which appears coincidental, has nevertheless unsettled area residents. They're no strangers to such scandals. Since 2005, the Tampa Bay area has been home to 10 similar cases involving schoolteachers, including these most recent ones. Among them: that of Debra LaFave, the blonde middle school teacher who admitted to sleeping with a 14-year-old boy in 2004 and whose case sparked a national media frenzy (she was sentenced to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation). In response to the most recent incidents, local and state officials are taking action. The Hillsborough County School District is launching a review of its hiring policies, and a pair of state legislative bills addressing teacher ethics is gaining additional traction.

Authorities say they have strong evidence to back up the charges against the three women. Investigators monitored a phone call between Ragusa and the 14-year-old in which she acknowledged having sex with the boy, according to the sheriff's office. Spack's alleged sexual encounter was overheard by the 17-year-old's friends in the motel room. And in Marinelli's case, authorities got hold of a pair of underwear she allegedly gave her victim, as well as explicit text messages sent from her cell phone. "How about a quickie 2 morrow afternoon :-)?" one read, according to an affidavit. "Ur car looks awesome! Al u need is a hot milf sittin next u and ud really b in business," read another.

Ragusa has been charged with lewd and lascivious battery, and Spack and Marinelli with unlawful sex with a minor. All three are now out on bail. Marinelli's attorney declined to comment, and lawyers for Ragusa and Spack didn't return repeated calls seeking comment.

For Ragusa, this isn't her first brush with the law. In 2004, she was arrested for aggravated battery, though the charge was later dropped. The following year, Tampa police arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence, and she refused to take a breath alcohol test; the charge was dismissed at trial. She also ran into trouble with school authorities. According to Linda Cobbe, spokesperson for Hillsborough County schools, Ragusa was investigated by the Florida Department of Children and Families for inappropriately restraining a student who was attempting to leave her classroom; no charges were filed. She was also on probation with the school board for using inappropriate language and discussing her personal life with students. "I think she has some boundary issues," says Cobbe.

The case against Spack, however, came as a shock to those who know her. ...

Continued here.


Note from Gag:

You gotta love 'the little Ragu!' Clearly, she knows how to have a good time and how to beat the charges afterward.