Sexual relationships within school districts

In recent years, stories about students being sexually harassed by teachers have become nightmares for many parents across the nation.Parents trust teachers to prepare students for tomorrow, instead some are accused of sexual misconduct.

In February 2017, a Lamar County teacher, Amy Gore,

allegedly had a sexual relationship with a high school student from her previous job at Hattiesburg High School.

U.S. Marshals arrested 41-year-old Gore outside the Lamar County School District office and charged her with one count of sexual battery.

In 2016, police arrested a choir director at the De Soto Central High School in Mississippi for having sex with a student. In this incident, Southaven Police charged 29-year-old Megan Morgan with two counts of sexual battery, stories of this nature are becoming more and more common nationwide.

A 2004 report by the U.S. Department of Education stated nearly 1 in 10 students were victims of sexual abuse by school personnel, which includes teachers,principals, coaches, and even school bus

(Photo Courtesy: Forrest County Jail)

drivers at some point during that student’s time in school.

That 13-year-old report remains the most recent data on the subject of student abuse in schools, which raises the question of what those numbers are today.

The two main factors that contribute to this is social media and awareness of the issue.

First, heavily-used social media entities such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat did not exist in 2004, and now give teachers much more access to students than ever before.

In addition, experts involved in the making of that report maintain that, because many cases likely go unreported, a truly accurate number of students affected is hard to produce.

A Texas-based consulting firm, Drive West Communications, analyzed news reports and found 781 reported cases of teachers and other school staff accused or convicted of sexual relationships with students in 2014.

That same year, at least 281 school employees — 36 percent of those accused or convicted of an inappropriate relationship with a student – were reported to have used social media to start or continue those relationships, according to the analysis.

Mississippi law states people can give consent at 16. However, if someone is in a position of authority like a teacher or counselor,

(Photo Courtesy: Southaven Police Department)

they are guilty of sexual battery if they have sex with a child under 18. If convicted, they can face up to 30 years in prison.

A 2014 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office shows that 46 states have laws that require schools to report sexual abuse to the state.

Through extensive research, it is unclear in the report that the state of Mississippi is one of those 46.

Hub City TV

HubCity TV HubCity TV reporter Jordain Lang investigated the issue of sexual relationships between students and teachers across the country.

Lang found that now electronic communication's popularity is more common, social media is possibly providing a "gateway" for social media predators.

Lamar County Superintendent, Tess Smith says she has no tolerance for anyone bending the rules.

"I go to new teacher induction every year. One of the things that I always mention is fraternization with students and it's not allowed via social media," Smith said.

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The state Department of Education requires administrators to report any instance of “any unethical conduct related to an educator-student relationship.”

That being said, nothing in the Department of Education’s code of conduct specifically indicates school administrators have to report those cases to law enforcement.

Lamar County Superintendent Tess Smith said she follows all rules that fall under that code of conduct.

“If there's an issue even before I investigate it, I am to report it and then within ten days I am to follow up and let them know the determination of the investigation, if I took action, if it required termination, if it required just suspension or reprimand. I have to give very detailed information back to MDE as to how we handled it,” Smith said.

Smith says teachers are allowed to use apps such as Remind 101 to communicate with students.

Remind 101 is a “communication tool that helps teachers reach students and parents where they are,” according to Remind.com.

In essence, the app protects students and teachers by logging all conversations.

However, it’s unclear how often the district checks those conversations to ensure student safety.

Oak Grove High School teacher Megan McPhail says since social media is constantly changing, it’s hard for school districts to keep up.

“Sometimes we forget kids don't have a right to a cellphone, it's a privilege. I think parents should be knowledgeable of what their kids are doing and who they're talking to,” McPhail said.

Smith wants to remind parents that their children are the number one priority.

“Our first duty is to protect the child and ensure their safety because if they don't feel safe and secure, they're not gonna learn. It's just not gonna happen. So anytime anything is reported we take it very seriously,” Smith said.

Smith said the Lamar County School District performs background checks and a fingerprinting process for added scrutiny.

“We've actually caught a few things that were not picked up by other entities. So I feel good about that. Anyone who works with our students go through that process, even our volunteers are fingerprinted and background checked,” Smith said.

Smith says not all teachers are “bad seeds.”

“You don't hear about our teachers that dig into their own pocket books to make sure that students can eat lunch or have a warm jacket in the winter or the ones that make sure that the child has food over the weekend. [I see] so many things,” Smith said. “There's so many things like that that our teachers do day in day out because that's why they got into education.”

When asked what McPhail would say to a concerned parent, she referenced the reports so many see on the nightly news.

“We hear about the bad ones on the news and that kind of thing but the majority of teachers are in it because they care. They want to make a difference and they want to help your child,” McPhail said.