Amanda Phillips, a 37-year-old teacher at Eastside Elementary School, has been arrested and charged after she allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with an unidentified student. Phillips, from Cynthiana, Kentucky, was arrested on Wednesday, January 16, and charged with first-degree sexual abuse.
According to police, Phillips — who was a special needs teacher in the Harrison County School District — had a sexual relationship with a prior student that was “over the age of 12-years-old” at the time of the inappropriate relationship.
Phillips’ arrest record says that she admitted to the inappropriate relationship with the former student, telling investigators that the relationship consisted of “kissing and other physical actions of a sexual nature.
Additionally, Phillips told police that the sexual acts happened at her home, according to WKYT.
After their investigation, police confirmed that Phillips did not have inappropriate relationships with any other students.
In a statement, Harrison County School District said that “in response to the allegations, the accused is no longer employed by the Harrison County Board of Education.”
Additionally, the district said they could not comment further because the investigation was still ongoing. Phillips is Phillips is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, January 24.
As for why there has been such a significant increase in instances of teachers having inappropriate 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.”
Hoffman 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.
That is all the information available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available.