Angela Jean Stanton, a 50-year-old substitute teacher in Florida, is facing several charges after she allegedly performed oral sex on a teenager and sent nude pictures to three more students.
According to reports, on Tuesday, January 22, a high school principal in the Citrus County School District became aware of a possible inappropriate relationship activity between the 50-year-old Stanton and a 15-year-old student.
Police say that Stanton — who is a resident of Iverness, Florida — was a substitute teacher in the Citrus County School District when she allegedly began communicating with student-athletes through various social media platforms.
After receiving a tip about the alleged relationship, police deputies went to Citrus High School to interview three students who claimed that Stanton had sent them nude pictures on Snapchat and performed oral sex on one of the students, who was just 15-years-old at the time of the incident.
Stanton was arrested on Wednesday, January 23 and was charged with felony lewd and lascivious battery and felony transmitting harmful materials to a minor. She was taken to local prison where she is being held on $12,000 bond.
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.
