Carrie Witt, a former Alabama teacher who attempted to challenge an Alabama state law that bars educators from having sexual relationships with students, has been ordered back to court this upcoming summer.
According to reports, Witt — who was arrested in 2016 and resigned in 2018 after she had sexual relations with two separate male students — tried to argue that because the students were at the legal age of consent, the relationship should be legal.
ABC 3340 reports that while a Morgan County judge agreed with Witt’s legal argument, the Alabama state court of criminal appeals overturned that decision and sent Witt’s case back to circuit court.
A former Alabama teacher who unsuccessfully challenged the state’s law prohibiting teachers from having sex with students is scheduled to return to court this summer.
Witt is just one of many education officials to be arrested and charged for sex-related crimes in recent years.
Since the beginning of 2019 alone, a handful of teachers have been arrested on similar charges, including Beulah High School teacher Kelsie Schmidt in North Dakota, Rancocas Valley Regional High School teacher Alexandra Reiner in New Jersey, and 50-year-old Florida substitute teacher Angela Jean Stanton in Florida. Additionally, Texas teachers Meredith Null and Edna Longoria were arrested on similar charges.
As for why there has been an increase in teacher’s being charged with sex-related crimes over recent years, studies suggest that smartphones are the primary reason for the spike in illicit relationships, as it allows teachers to communicate with the minors without supervision.
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.
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