Amy McElhenney arrested for having sex with 18 year old

bestsynd

Amy McElhenney, 25, was arrested on May 25th due to allegations of having sex with an 18 year old student with whom she teaching. McElhenney is a high school Spanish teacher in Carrollton, near Dallas. She also participated in a 2002 Miss Texas contest.

Due to the new laws in Texas that make it a crime to have sex in student-teacher relationship even though the student was 18 years old. McElhenney faces up to a 20 year sentence if convicted.

There is debate with some lawmakers that say since the student was of legal age it should make McElhenney exempt of the felony charge. According to Chron.com the State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, intended the 2003 Texas criminal felony law to apply to student-teacher sexual relationships with 17 year olds and younger.

Unfortunately, other legislators added amendments that made student-teacher sex illegal at any age. The debate of McElhenney case is that she had sex with an 18 year old that was of legal age. Is the student at this point just as guilty? At this time reports do not say that McElhenney was aware that the student-teacher law pertained to all ages including 18 year olds.

Parents fear if the law does not include 18 year olds that teachers will prey on the senior class students with sexual advances. The jury will have to decide on this case and it may change legislation in the future. If they sentence McElhenney for this crime it will make an example to other teachers not to behave in this manner. The real question is if an 18 year old is old enough to vote and go to war, then is this really a child that needs protecting?

jpconrad · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:30 pm Post subject:

If they can outlaw sex between a teacher and a student who is legally of age, why can't they outlaw any other sexual relations regardless of age?

I'm sorry, but if the child is old enough to vote for these idiots and go and fight for their country they should be old enough to have sex with their teachers.

The teacher, however, should be fired.
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barstow wiz · Forum Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 4119

Froggy · Forum Guru Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Posts: 469

theLIBERTARIAN · El Loco Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 10192

You are a smart person there Froggy. I just saw that on another forum. That was the intent of the law. But I wonder if it is wise to make such a law. How often does it happen?

Froggy · Forum Guru Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Posts: 469

Thanks Lib...I try my best Wink

I think it probably happens more than we think. I can tell you as a female I had a major crush on one of my teachers, I think from about 14, he was a great guy and he never once overstepped the line but was still friendly, Ive thought back on that many times when I hear about a teacher/student relationship, I did the usual daft teen things, inscribed his name on the wooden desks, wrote Jackie 4 Alan (or used his last name) all over the walls...well not all over them Embarassed

I never made up any wild stories or fantasized in my diary about anything but I know a few girls that did that about teachers they had a crush on....I know for a fact that there were a couple of teacher/student 'flings', mostly with male teachers/female students....and then you grow up and learn what gets a guy going (so to speak) I imagine that in some cases when there is a 14 or 15 year old girl....maybe more so if they have the body and mannerisms of say an 18 year old literally throwing themselves at the teacher, the thought has got to cross their mind.

I walked into the store room once in my geography room and caught a lad in my class with the female geog teacher, his pants were already open, they were kissing (passionately) and they had their hands all over each other, he was 15 and she had to be well into her 30's, I didnt tell anyone, to be honest the guy had harrassed the girls in my class for about 2 years, groping us as we walked past, making nasty comments...not a nice guy, I think thats probably the main reason I never said anything though, when he had that going on with the teacher he left us all alone. She made my life a misery though, I thoroughly enjoyed geography, it was one of my favourite classes, but she would do things like after a lecture if anyone had questions I was always there with my hand up for a question but she ignored me.

Then there was a girl in my sisters class that was having an affair with the male geography teacher (must be something in this geography thing Shocked

) she was only 13 when it started and again he had to be about 30 - 35, was already married with a couple of kids, everyone knew about it but it went on until after she left school, he got a divorce, got engaged to the girl after she left school and then married him about 2 years later, last I heard they were still together and were all in our early 40's now)

So yeah, I do think that the laws are important because anyone can be tempted or at least 'look twice' and while a decent adult wont go near someone under age technically it changes when the underage person suddenly turns 18....but theyre still that persons teacher....the law is a reminder of that, I would imagine that it will make some teachers stop and think before they act on their urges or desires.

I know of a couple of teachers that have used grading as bribery, dont really know of any that have used grades as threats directly to get into a relationship with anyone....but even with that I could go back to my geog teacher, my geog grades took a dive after I caught them together even though I said nothing and to be honest I didnt have a great rep with the teachers at school anyway by then so if I had told someone they probably wouldnt have believed me.

barstow wiz · Forum Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 4119

Hearing Froggy talk about the crushes young ladies had on their teachers reminded me of when I was running a computer lab for the youth of Dugway Proving Grounds. There were girls that I had a sense that they had a "crush" on me. Of course, I found this somewhat flattering, and some of the young ladies could be quite forward. Shocked

This is a delicate situation that must be handled appropriately. I could never justify in my mind disrupting a young person's life for a few moments of selfish satisfaction, and therefore I never crossed that line.
The Army also had one rule that helped; never be alone with the youngin's! This rule helps protect both the adults and the young people.
In the end, it is incumbent upon the adult to do the right thing.
I think the age of "adulthood" should be raised to 21 anyway. Cool

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theLIBERTARIAN · El Loco Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 10192

Adults with minors was already a crime. As for the teacher / student thing that is new. It is one of those things that does not rock my world (in other words I am not offended by that law). Schools already have a policy against this sort of thing, but the teacher would not go to jail, just lose his job.

lil' suzi · Joined: 11 Sep 2005 Posts: 93 Location: Southern Az

I too, had crushes on a couple of teachers in high school but thats as far as it went. This teacher-student thing seems more popular than ever these days but if the student is over 18, the only problem it could create is the grades despite how the student did in class, in general..
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Jaded · Forum Guru Joined: 10 Sep 2005 Posts: 696

If the student is old enough to vote, die for his country, get married, obtain credit and be tried as an adult, then he is an adult in the eyes of the law. That means he is old enough to have sex with any other consenting adult, even if it is his teacher.

At most this is unethical. The teacher should be fired but not convicted.

barstow wiz · Forum Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 4119

BubbleBrain · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:36 pm Post subject:

If 18 is an adult I believe they should be allowed to drink as well as vote and DIE in the service of their country.

HOWEVER: These teacher / student and co-worker affairs should be discouraged at the very least

AND if contracts are signed where incoming teachers, students and workers acknowledge that this is a dismissable offense

Then they SHOULD be fired or booted out later when they CHOOSE to disregard the agreement they signed....

No matter how stupid some of these agreements are.
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