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Brianne Altice, a former Davis High School teacher in Utah convicted of having sex with three of students, has officially asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit against her and the Davis School District.
According to a handwritten motion filed by Altice from the Utah State Prison, she asked the federal judge to throw out the lawsuit against her, arguing that she is entitled to summary judgment because she “owes no fiduciary duty to them, nor did any sexual activity occur on school grounds or during the school year.”
Altice was originally was convicted of three counts of forcible sex abuse back in 2015. She has since been denied a parole hearing and will be able to ask to be released again in 2019.
We previously reported that since going to prison, Altice has completed a paralegal certificate and taken other classes, in addition to attending life skills courses and therapy.
As for why there has been such a significant increase in instances of teachers having sexual relationships with students, researchers believe that technology is to blame.
According to a report from the Texas Education Association, smartphones make easy for teachers to privately text and talk with students and also make it possible for teachers and students to share explicit images.
SESAME (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse Misconduct & Exploitation) President Terri Miller echoed that sentiment, stating “before cell phones, we knew who our kids were talking to” but today, “kids have their own phones, they’re taking them to bed, and parents need to watch more.”
Altice has been one of many teachers to be charged for inappropriate conduct. Over the course of just a few months, educators across the country were arrested for entering into an inappropriate relationship with their students, Tennessee teacher Janet Smothers, LaToya Parker, Florida teacher Caroline Lawson, 26-year-old Allyson Moran and Katherine Ross Ridenhour were all arrested on similar charges. A woman named Kayla Sprinkles was arrested in North Carolina for similar sexual crimes.
Altice has been one of many teachers to be charged for inappropriate conduct. Over the course of just a few months, teachers across the United States have been charged, tried, and convicted of various abuse and sex crimes.
The list goes on to include 22-year-old Oklahoma science teacher Hunter Day, 28-year-old teacher Megan Kotarski, 23-year-old history teacher Michelle Schiffer, 29-year-old Alyssia Marie Reddy, special education teacher Jordan Ondish and 28-year-old Samantha Fitzpatrick have all been allegedly carrying on inappropriate relationships with their students.
Most recently, teachers such as 29-year-old Haylie Smart, 25-year-old Alaina Ferguson, 26-year-old Amy Nowaczyk, and 32-year-old Laura Bucy were arrested and charged for similar crimes.