A teacher who was arrested for sex with her student has evaded prison after she apologised to the teenager for her behaviour.
26-year
old Nikki Scherwitz was said to have pleaded guilty to having a sexual
relationship with a 16-year old student of the school she taught in
Texas, USA.
Scherwitz was sentenced to 10 years of probation and a $5,000 fine for her unhealthy relationship with a minor.
Daily News reports:
Prosecutors reportedly agreed to the plea deal because the student
was nearly 17, the age of consent in Texas. Scherwitz, 26, also agreed
to send written apologies to the victim’s mom and to the Brazosport
Independent School District in Houston.
“I apologize for the
behavior I engaged in with a student of BISD,” Scherwitz scribbled onto a
piece of paper. “I crossed an ethical boundary I never should have
crossed. Again, I’m sorry.”
But some parents and students are upset that Scherwitz managed to avoid a jail sentence.
“The
men get 25 to life, but a woman gets a slap on the wrist with only a
$5,000 fine,” Mario Salinas, a student at Brazosport High School, told
KHOU.
“If it was a guy, a male teacher with a female student, it wouldn’t be the same,” agreed Oscar Guttierrez, another student.
In fact, Texas law forbids improper relationships between teachers and students—no matter the age.
Police
were alerted to Scherwitz’s inappropriate behavior after the teacher
allegedly showed up drunk to an after-prom party, wearing a tattered,
cut-off shirt. For several weeks before that, she had been sending
explicit text messages to her victim, KTRK reports. When others at the
party asked her to leave, she left the house with her victim in tow.
Scherwtiz had separated from her husband before developing a relationship with the minor. Her son is now staying his dad.
With the police hot on her trail, the woman resigned from her job as a 10th grade English teacher last year.
Scherwitz is now considered a convicted felon. She has to abide by a curfew and has been ordered to stay far away from minors.
“I
think she should get more than just probation because that’s a kid,”
said Robert Anderson whose grandchild is a Brazosport student, adding,
“and you shouldn’t have relationships with a young minor.”
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