A married teacher in Michigan is now facing criminal charges for having sexual relationships with two male students, authorities said.
The teacher is now fired and is due in court on Friday, January 11.
What Happened?
Kathryn Houghtaling, a 26-year-old special education teacher at Rochester High School, is now facing charges of six counts of third-degree sexual conduct involving a 16- and 17-year-old, Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe told the Detroit News.
Houghtaling was fired Tuesday, January 8 from Rochester High School after an internal investigation by Rochester Community Schools. District officials said the alleged incidents occurred outside of school hours.
According to WXYZ, Houghtaling had sex with two students in both an apartment and a car. Although her social media accounts were largely wiped clean of identifying data as of Friday.
Houghtaling was terminated immediately after an internal investigation, according to the district.
“The safety and welfare of our students and staff is always our primary concern,” Superintendent Robert Shaner said in a statement Thursday, January 10. “We are thankful for our partnership with the Rochester Police Department, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, and our security consultants who help us in our efforts to keep our children safe.”
Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton told the Detroit Free Press that one of Houghtaling’s alleged encounters with the students, which occurred in November and December 2018, took place inside a car.
Houghtaling is now facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Who Is Kathryn Houghtaling?
Houghtaling is a former teacher at Rochester High School. According to a now-deleted Tweet from Rochester High, Houghtaling was hired back in August 2018 to teach special education. Her now deleted Facebook showed that the 26-year-old is married.
She was fired on Tuesday due to the sexual relationships she had with two students.
Some of the teacher’s neighbors, meanwhile, said they were shocked by the accusations.
“You expect the best when your student goes to school,” neighbor Lazette Parks told WXYZ. “Whatever she did, I’m quite sure the board did what they needed to do.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting. She deserves to get everything that happens to her,” neighbor Bart Fox said. “You’re 26, you still have your whole life ahead of you, you really had to take advantage of children?”
Fox said he’s now concerned about the safety of his daughter.
“My daughter, really she plays out here in the summertime with a whole bunch of kids from down the street,” he said. “Like, are they really safe?”