“Sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests”

That conclusion drawn from

a study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education:

Titled, “Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature,” the report says the mistreatment of students ranges from sexual comments to rape.

In fact, says the studies author, Carol Shakeshaft, professor of educational administration at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, New York, the scope of the school sex problem appears to far exceed the clergy abuse scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church.

Comparing the incidence of sexual misconduct in schools with the Catholic Church scandal, Shakeshift notes that a study by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops concluded that 10,667 young people were sexually mistreated by priests between 1950 and 2002.

In contrast, the extrapolates from a national survey conducted for the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation in 2000 that roughly 290,000 students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a public school employee between 1991 and 2000.

The figures suggest “the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests,” said Shakshaft, according to Education Week.

Indeed, more than 4.5 million students are subject to sexual misconduct by an employee of a school sometime between kindergarden and 12th grade, says the report

Abbie Jane Swogger

Abbie Jane Swogger, 34: Teacher's aide at Highlands Senior High School in Harrison, Pa., was arrested Feb. 22, 2008, for renting a hotel room where police found beer, marijuana, an open condom wrapper and at least four teenage girls and boys, including several of her 15-year-old son's friends. Though categorically denying rumors she was having sex with students from the school, Swogger was quoted as saying, "I was stupid, very stupid. I already know I was and I can understand you looking at me wrong. It's the biggest mistake I ever made in my whole life." Police allege Swogger "asked or encouraged" two 15-year-old runaway girls to have sex with her. According to a police papers, Swogger admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old boy and asked police, "How serious is that?" The one-time exotic dancer resigned Feb. 25, 2008.

Abigail Holloway

Abigail Holloway, 33 The former gym teacher at the Christian prep school, Kings Academy, in Sunnyvale, Calif., was arrested March 5, 2009, at St. Mary's Academy in Englewood, Colorado, where she was working, on charges stemming from an alleged sexual relationship with a female student lasting from 2001 to 2005. The girl, now a student at Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., told a school counselor about the relationship that had occurred in California beginning when she was 13. During that time, according to the girl, she and Holloway were intimate "over 100 times." "We have a very special relationship. It is a gift from God," states an alleged e-mail from Holloway to the girl in March 2003. "Not many people are going to understand that, but we know in our hearts that God made us for each other!" Holloway is fighting extradition.

Adrienne Laflamme

Adrianne Hockett: Accused of having sex with a 16-year-old special-needs student in a Houston apartment she rented for the get-togethers. The boy has testified the pair would "have sex, drink beer and smoke weed."

Adrienne Laflamme, 60: Science teacher at the Brevard County Juvenile Detention Center in Cocoa, Fla., was arrested June 25, 2008, for having a four-week heated affair with an inmate student, 17, within days of his release. The boy's mother said the teacher regularly picked him up from their home to have sex at her own residence. Laflamme had sex with the student at least 15 times, including one threesome with a 14-year-old boy. She has been charged with 15 counts of unlawful sex with minors and one count of filing a false police report.

Alison Mosbeck

Alison Mosbeck, 33: History teacher at Dueitt Middle School in the Spring, Texas, school district was arrested Oct. 26, 2007, for allegedly having intercourse at least three times with one of her students, a 14-year-old boy. The mother of one of the students' friends saw text messages from Mosbeck on the student's cellphone and alerted authorities.

Allenna Ward

Allenna Ward, 24: Minister's daughter from Laurens County, S.C., was a second-year teacher at Bell Street Middle School in Clinton, S.C., when she was fired Feb. 28, 2007, for allegedly having sex with at least five boys. Some of the purported victims, ages 14 and 15, were students at Ward's school. Authorities say the married woman had sex with the boys not only on campus, but also at a motel, in a park and behind a restaurant. On Sept. 6, 2007, Ward pleaded guilty to six charges – three second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three lewd acts on a minor. "Today, I publicly admit my guilt and would like to apologize. I sincerely apologize for the effects of my actions," she told the court. On Feb. 19, 2008, she was sentenced to six years in prison.

Amanda Louise Thompson, 28: Australian high school teacher accused of befriending a 14-year-old student upon learning the girl suffered from an eating disorder, then engaging the girl in a three-year lesbian relationship. On Oct. 27, 2008, prosecutors accused Thompson of meeting the girl at parks to engage in sex acts and abusing the student with everyday items such as a lollipop and a necklace. She reportedly showered the girl with gifts and notes, but the student's parents grew suspicious when during sleepovers at the girl's house, Thompson would refuse to keep the door to the girl's bedroom open.

Amanda Athey

Amanda Athey, 27: Charged Aug. 8, 2007, in Huntersville, N.C. with three counts of indecent liberties with a female student and one count of sexual activity with a female student. The relationship came to light when the girl's father became suspicious of the Hopewell High School English teacher's friendship with his daughter. She had told the father she was married to a man named Cal but after her arrest, it came to light she lived with another woman named Callie.

Amber Jennings, 31: Though Jennings was initially charged with having sex with a 16-year-old, the counts against the Sturbridge, Mass., woman were reduced to a single charge of disseminating harmful materials to a minor. She reportedly admitted e-mailing naked photos of herself to a former student. She received no jail time, only two years of probation after pleading guilty in September 2005.

Amber Marshall

Amber Marshall, 23: Northwest Indiana woman allegedly had sexual contact, including intercourse, with several students at Hebron High School, and turned herself into authorities, telling police she knew what she did was illegal.

Amira Sa'Di, 30: Clayton County, Ga., math teacher at Mundy's Mill High School was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a student in November 2005. She reportedly remarked she didn't think her relationship was inappropriate based on her Internet research, learning Georgia's age of consent is 16.

Amy Bramhall, 33: Education technician was arrested in January 2006 after a 15-year-old boy at the alternative education school in Warren, Maine, told police he had an ongoing sexual relationship with her. Flirting allegedly eventually led to an estimated 200 sexual encounters. In December 2006, she received three and half years in prison, with all but one year suspended, and four years probation.

Amy Elder

Amy Elder, 28: Ripley High School teacher and softball coach in Memphis, Tenn., was indicted June 4, 2008, on 15 counts, including rape and sexual assault, after allegedly having had sexual relations with two female students. "I'd heard rumors going around school that she's seeing girls not guys," said one student, "but it wasn't none of my business."

Amy Lilley

Amy Gail Lilley, 36: Inverness, Fla., woman and softball coach at Lecanto High School charged with a lesbian relationship with a 15-year-old girl. She received no prison time, being sentenced in January 2006 to two years of house arrest and eight more years of probation.

Amy McElhenny

Amy McElhenney, 25: Charged with having a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male student, the 25-year-old Hebron High School Spanish teacher and former Miss Texas contestant will not be serving any jail time after a Denton County, Texas, grand jury refused to issue an indictment in September 2006. While the age of consent in Texas is 17 years, a state law bans sexual relationships between educators and students even if the student is of legal age and the relationship is consensual. She could have faced 20 years in prison if indicted and convicted.

Amy Northcutt

Amy Northcutt, 26: Former history teacher at Turlock Christian School in Turlock, Calif. was arrested on June 2, 2008, along with her husband, Justin Northcutt, 27, a substitute teacher at the same school, for sending erotic text messages to a 16-year-old female student and attempting to arrange group sex with her. Police were called in when the girl's mother became suspicious of Mr. Nothcutt's attention toward her daughter.

Andrea Fox, 33: German teacher at Easton Area High School in Palmer Township, Pa., submitted her resignation June 17, 2008, after reportedly being caught arranging a sexual rendezvous with a student. Sources said Fox was found by school officials in May 2008 accepting an invitation for sex from a 17-year-old student during an instant message chat on her school computer. A criminal investigation was underway with local police.

Angela Christine Coffey

Angela Christine Coffey, 34: Cheerleading coach and English teacher at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Ga., gave birth to a baby girl in April 2007 following what police called a consensual relationship with a 17-year-old student. The former student declined to cooperate with prosecutors and has visited Coffey in jail since she pleaded guilty July 27 to sexual assault on a person in custody, jail records show. "It was only a crime because of the status of the victim – student-teacher," Coffey's attorney said.

Angela Comer

Angela Comer, 26: Middle-school teacher from Tompkinsville, Ky., fled with her alleged lover, her 14-year-old male student, before being tracked down in Mexico where she reportedly planned to marry the boy. Comer later claimed she was forced at gunpoint by the boy to go to Mexico. She was indicted in January 2006 for illegal sex acts with a minor and returned to Kentucky. Charges included felony custodial interference, two counts of third-degree sodomy and four counts of unlawful transaction with a minor relating to sexual acts. On May 9, 2007, Comer pleaded guilty to one-count of third-degree sodomy, and was slated to serve 10 years in prison as part of a plea agreement.

"Angel" Lindle

Angela "Angel" Simmons Lindle, 37: The Edgewood Middle School science teacher was arrested by Ninety Six, S.C., authorities on Feb. 20, 2009, following an investigation of allegations of a sexual relationship with a make student, 15. The boy, 14 at the time the relationship began, described numerous encounters with Lindle and, according to warrants, Lindle admitted to 7 charges. On March 21, 2009, while out on bail, Lindle was found dead in her home, apparantly from a self-inflicted gun shot.

Angela Palmerl

Angela Palmer, 20: Lunchtime monitor at Lasselle Elementary School in Riverside County, Calif., was arrested on suspicion of child molestation on June 10, 2008, after being caught in a compromising position in a parked vehicle with a 16-year-old female student by deputies checking suspicious activity. The incident occurred after summer break had begun. "If school was not over, we would pull her in and do an administrative leave," said the school's information officer

Angela Stellwag

Angela Stellwag, 24: Delran, N.J., woman accused of having sex in her apartment with a 14-year-old boy she met in school. She was charged with sexual assault for activity that allegedly took place in August 2004. She pleaded not guilty in August 2006.

Anna Bettencourt

Anna Bettencourt, 38: The teacher at Bliss High School in Gooding County, Idaho, was arraigned on Feb. 18, 2009, on two counts of sexual battery of a minor child 16 years of age. Due to an undisclosed conflict of interest, the prosecuting attorney's office will petition the court to appoint a special prosecutor.

Anne Knopf

Anne Knopf, 39: Former substitute teacher at Prescott Middle School in Wisconsin was charged Nov. 5, 2007, with sexual assault of a child under 16. She is accused of having a sexual relationship with the 13-year-old former boyfriend of her own daughter.

Ashley Flores

Ashley Flores, 26: Former East Junior High teacher in Ponca City, Okla., was charged Oct. 1, 2008, with second-degree rape after prosecutors said she had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old former student over the summer. According to the court affidavit, Flores had sex with the boy at her home while her own children were there.

Autumn Leathers

Autumn Leathers, 24: English teacher at Mountain Ridge High School in Alleghany County, Md., was arrested Aug. 20, 2008, for allegedly having a sexual relationship with one of her 16-year-old students. Officers say they were contacted by a resident, who noticed the student at Leathers’ home several times in the late evening.

Becci Hill

Becci Hill, 31: Martinsville, Ind., counselor at Sanders School in Wayne Township arrested in 2006 for for sexual activity with a 15-year-old autistic boy. Prosecutors say what started as a mentor relationship turned into a sexual liaison that lasted a year. Hill would allegedly park her car down the street from the boy's home, and he would climb out his window to meet her in the middle of the night. In January 2007, Hill pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor, and was given a two-year prison sentence and forced to register as a sex offender.

Beth Ann Chester

Beth Ann Chester, 27: Former Moon Area High School health and gym teacher in Pittsburgh was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 3 years in jail on Aug. 20, 2008, after pleading guilty to three charges stemming from the romantic relationship she had with a then-14-year-old boy. Chester, who was married, admitted to having sex with the boy numerous times, including once in the school parking lot. Her husband filed for divorce a month after her January 2008 arrest.

Beth Raymond, 31: Private-school employee from Pownal, Maine, charged with risk of injury to a minor and second-degree sexual assault of a juvenile male at Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, Conn. In July 2006, she was sentenced to 18 months prison.

Bethany Sherrill, 24: Daughter-in-law of school-board president charged with molesting a 15-year-old middle-school student. Reports state Sherill allegedly had oral sex with the boy and sent him coded text messages. She resigned her position at Jefferson Elementary School in Farmington, Mo., in February 2005 and eventually received 90 days in jail and two years probation, and was forced to register as a sex offender.

Brandy Lynn Gonzales

Brandy Lynn Gonzales, 27: The Houston-area teacher and her husband were arrested in December 2006 for sexually assaulting students at an elementary school two years earlier. Prosecutors allege that Gonzales met a student at a local movie theater, where she performed oral sex on the boy as well as another student at the theater. Husband Johnny Gonzales is also charged with having performed sex acts with one teen. Prosecutors told the judge they have sufficient evidence to file further charges.

Brenda Baillargeon

Brenda Baillargeon, 39: Teacher's aide in the Amery School District of Polk County, Wis., charged in November 2007 with having sex with a 16-year-old male student. The illicit seven-month sexual relationship with the high-school student she tutored included road trips and sneaking into his home in the early-morning hours for sex, according to the criminal complaint. She was his first love, and they planned to be married after she got a divorce, court records stated.

Cameo Patch

Cameo Patch, 29: Substitute teacher at Tooele High School in Tooele, Utah, arrested for allegedly performing oral sex on a 17-year-old male student. The sexual activity was allegedly consensual, and reportedly took place off school grounds after the pair had exchanged phone numbers in a restaurant. In November 2006, Patch was sentenced to no jail time, despite comments from the judge that a man would have likely gone to prison.

Carol Flannigan

Carol Flannigan, 50: Boca Raton, Fla., music teacher reportedly slept with 11-year-old former student, and also had a simultaneous sexual relationship with the boy's father. In a deposition, the boy's father said he had the same sort of sexual relationship with Flannigan that ex-President Bill Clinton had with Monica Lewinsky. In February 2006, Flannigan was sentenced to five years prison as part of a plea deal.

Carrie McCandless

Carrie McCandless, 29: The former Colorado social-studies teacher, who also happens to be married to the principal, was charged in November 2006 with having had sexual contact with a 17-year-old male student during an overnight school camping trip. The instructor, who also coached cheerleading, pleaded guilty April 24, 2007, to felonies of tampering with physical evidence and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of unlawful sexual contact with a minor. She was not expected to serve any jail time.

Carrie O'Conner

Carrie O'Conner, 33: Counselor at Montgomery County High School in Mount Vernon, Ga., arrested Aug. 13, 2007, for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old male student. The relationship is said to have lasted from January through July. According to police, the abuse was first reported in March 2007 to a teacher and a probation officer, but they were reportedly reluctant to inform the superintendent because O'Conner is the superintendent's daughter.

Cathy Heminghaus

Cathy Heminghaus, 46: Special-education teacher from Ferguson, Mo., charged with statutory sodomy involving at least three of her students at Ferguson Middle School. She reportedly told friends she had performed oral sex on the children on several occasions in 2005. On July 9, 2007, she pleaded no contest Monday to 25 counts; 21 of them involving statutory sodomy.

Cris Morris

Cris Morris, 30: The former teacher and track coach at Hurricane High School in St. George, Utah, was sentenced on May 15, 2008, to 30 days in jail for having sex with a male student. The mother of three's relationship with the teen began after the then-17-year-old victim "approached her with admiration" in the summer of 2007 and she began texting him.

Chrissy Hisey

Crissy Hisey, 28: Sophomore English teacher at Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, Calif., arrested May 1, 2008, for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl at the school. "This started out as a friendship and then developed into a sexual relationship," one detective said, noting it had been ongoing for several months. Hisey was charged with suspicion of lewd conduct with a minor, oral copulation with a minor, child molestation and sending harmful material to a child. Police said the "harmful material" involved photos and videos allegedly found on cell phones of both the teacher and the girl. The alleged sexual contact between Hisey and the girl reportedly happened both at the woman's home and in Hisey's classroom after school hours.

Christel C. Gravlin

Christel C. Gravlin, 33: The Lisbon High School teacher from St. Lawrence County, N.Y., was arraigned Dec. 10, 2007, on charges of rape 3rd degree, criminal sex act 3rd degree and endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly having intercourse with a 15-year-old male student. Allegations became known after an incident at a high school basketball game on Nov. 30 when Gravlin, a married mother of two and former beauty queen, made statements about an affair to a group of students and others who were sitting near her. On March 3, 2008, she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of third-degree rape, and on May 19, 2008, she apologized to the boy as she was sentenced to four months behind bars.

Christina Gallagher, 26: Jersey City, N.J., woman received no jail time, but was ordered to pay more than $1,000 in fines, sentenced to a lifetime registration as a convicted sex offender and ordered to attend therapy for having sex with a 17-year-old student in late 2004. The former Rahway High School instructor was banned from teaching and seeing the student with whom she had sex.

Christina Oliver

Christina Oliver, 24: Teacher at NcNair High School in Stockton, Calif., was arrested Feb. 10, 2009, on suspicion of having sex with a male student, 16. She was booked into San Joaquin County Jail on three charges involving child molest or annoyance, lewd or lascivious behavior with a minor, and contact with a minor for the purpose of committing an offense with the minor.

Christine Duda, 39: Teacher at the Normandy Alternative School in St. Louis County, Mo., allegedly took a 16-year-old hearing-impaired male student to her home for sex in December 2005. She was charged with two counts of felony statutory rape and fired by the school district.

Christine Scarlett, 36: English teacher at Strongsville High School in Ohio began a sexual relationship with the 17-year-old captain of the football team, Steven Bradigan, in November 2002 and eventually gave birth to Bradigan's son. Scarlett was fired from her teaching job, but insists nothing improper happened during the time she was Bradigan's teacher. She was never charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

Christine Jouini

Christine Brown Jouini, 38: The 11th and 12th-grade teacher at Center Academy in Coral Springs, Fla., was arrested June 6, 2008, after police learned she had been involved in a sexual relationship with one of her male students for more than a year. The boy said the relationship began when he was 16 years old and that he and Jouini had "sexual contact" more than 100 times.

Christine McCallum

Christine McCallum, 29: The former fifth-grade teacher at Woodsdale Elementary School in Abington, Mass., was arrested on June 8, 2008, after the father of a 16-year-old boy went to authorities with copies of letters McCallum, married, had written to the boy. According to charges, she is accused of having consensual sex over 300 times with the teen, beginning when he was 13. McCallum was a tutor for the alleged victim's younger brother.

Christine Spaich

Christine Spaich, 28: Teacher and volleyball coach at Silverado Middle School in Roseville, Calif., arrested April 6, 2007, for alleged unlawful intercourse with a minor and other related charges. Police say Spaich had a six-month relationship with a 16-year-old boy identified as a former student at her school. Detectives said the relationship appeared to be consensual and that the boy was not forced. Spaich entered a "no contest" plea July 3, 2007, and was sentenced to four months in jail, four years probation and 400 hours of community service. An application for alternative sentencing could let the teacher avoid jail time altogether.

Christy Anne Brown

Christy Anne Brown, 33: English teacher at Cyprus High School in Magna, Utah, was arrested July 8, 2007, for allegedly having sex with one of her students, a boy of 16. A police officer found her in a parked car along with the boy, and told authorities she had been having relations with the juvenile for three months. "The suspect admits to having sex over 40 times. She also admitted to having oral sex with the juvenile at her home and also at work," the jail report stated.

Christy Martin

Christy Martin, 32: The "Life Choices" teacher at Azalea Middle School in St. Petersburg, Fla., was arrested March 7, 2009, for exchanging pornographic pictures of genitals with a male student, 14, by camera cell phone. Martin was subsequently evicted from her apartment by her landlord.

Claire Richards

Claire Richards, 35:The math teacher at Jordan High School in Columbus, Ga., was arrested Dec. 19, 2008, following an investigation by police and Muscogee County School District officials into reports of an inappropriate relationship between her and a 16-year-old male student. The eight-year veteran of the district was charged with two counts of sexual assault on a person in custody, four counts of interference with custody and 17 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Crystal Wells

Crystal Wells, 33: Teacher at Deming High School in northeastern Kentucky was sentenced to 5 years in prison April 14, 2008, for sex with a 15-year-old male student. She had been facing six counts of rape, but pleaded guilty to six felony charges of unlawful transaction with a minor. Family members reportedly found text messages on the boy's phone and felt they were indicative of a sexual relationship. "I have to treat this the same as I would a male teacher and a female student," Judge Robert McGinnis said. Wells' attorney stated the woman's marriage was falling apart and a divorce was pending.

Cynthia Horvath

Cynthia Horvath, 45: Former English teacher and cheer coach at Warner Christian Academy in South Daytona Beach, Fla. was arrested Oct. 22, 2008, on charges related to an ongoing sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male student. Police reports say most of the senior class at the school knew there was something going on and it was finally students who told a staff member about the affair and the school told police. Horvath is married and has a 17-year-old son who attends Warner Christian.

Danielle Jones

Danielle Jones, 32: Sixth-grade teacher at Stambaugh Middle School in Auburndale, Fla., was arrested on June 5, 2008, on charges of having sex with four teenage boys, two of whom were her students. The woman had initiated the contact the previous summer by contacting her two previous students through their MySpace accounts, telling them she missed them and inviting them to her home.

Darcie Esson

Darcie Esson, 32: Parker, Colo., English teacher at Elizabeth High School was arrested in December 2006 for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old football player the day after her divorce was finalized. According to the arrest affidavit, Esson and the teen had sex on the floor of her hotel room while her two children, ages 4 and 8, and their 17-year-old babysitter slept on beds in the same room. Esson was charged with sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, a Class IV felony.

Dawn Welter, 38: Sumner, Wash., teacher at Tenino High School charged April 24, 2007, with second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly spending the night with a 16-year-old girl at a motel. Charging papers state that on Feb. 17, Welter engaged in sexual contact with the teen.

Deanna Bobo

Deanna Bobo, 37: Special-education teacher at Raymond E. Wells Junior High School in Greenwood, Ark., allegedly had sex twice in 2005 with a 14-year-old boy in his own bed while his parents were not home. She denied the charge, but was convicted in September 2006 of two counts of first-degree sexual assault and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Deborah Reeder

Deborah Reeder, 45: Substitute teacher from Coral Springs, Fla., arrested in December 2006, charged with having sex at least four times with a 17-year-old boy who was a friend of one of her own three children. The victim told police they had sex multiple times in her car, her bed, on the floor of her bedroom and in the master bedroom shower.

Debra LaFave

Debra LaFave, 25: Tampa, Fla., area teacher received no jail time despite having sex with her 14-year-old male student in a classroom and her Hillsborough County home. In another county, Marion, she was accused of having sex with the boy in an SUV. LaFave claimed at a March 2006 news conference she had a bipolar disorder. The boy's father said LaFave should have received prison time in her plea deal, noting, "It's a horrible, ugly thing that she's done."

Diane DeMartini-Scully, 45: Mattituck, N.Y., woman was the school psychologist at East Hampton Middle School on Long Island when she was accused of having sex with the 16-year-old boyfriend of her own 13-year-old daughter. She allegedly had intercourse and oral sex with the boy on a number of occasions in May 2005 in her home and car. She was arrested after allegedly secretly visiting her young paramour at his new home in North Carolina.

Elizabeth Livesay

Elizabeth Livesay, 26: Special education teacher at Carson Junior High School in Mesa, Ariz., was arrested Nov. 17, 2008, on 11 charges she had sex with a 16-year-old girl on numerous occasions outside of school grounds. The 16-year-old is not her student and police believe that the girl has not been Livesay's student in the past. She was put on paid leave of absence during the investigation.

Elizabeth Miklosovic

Elizabeth Miklosovic, 36: Grand Rapids, Mich., teacher at South Haven's Baseline Middle School pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old female student she "married" in a pagan ritual in June 2004. Miklosovic is also accused of touching the girl's genitals while camping in public parks. She told the judge before sentencing, "The entire ordeal has been blown totally out of proportion for something that was innocent, kind and nurturing in nature." She was sentenced to five to 25 years.

Elizabeth Munn

Elizabeth Munn, 32: Gloversville, N.Y., teacher was arrested for statuatory rape of an eighth-grade male student half her age after someone alerted police with a complaint. The social studies teacher, who had worked in the Broadalbin-Perth School District for more than five years, was considered a competent teacher and the news of her arrest was called a surprise by a district official. According to the Fulton County D.A., Munn admitted to being involved with the 15-year-old student over the summer but wouldn't give any details.

Elizabeth Stow

Elizabeth Stow, 26: Tulare Western High School teacher from Fresno, Calif., area convicted of having sex with three of her students was sentenced in November 2005 to nine years prison, but the judge suspended that sentence and gave her one year, followed by five years of probation. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Ellen Garfield, 43: Former student at Solomon Schecter School in Newton, Mass., said his music teacher took him into an empty classroom where she worked, partially disrobed, and coaxed him into having sex with her in 1998. Garfield was acquitted of all charges in September 2005.

Emily Morris, 28: Teacher at Leeds High School in St. Clair County, Ala., faced a possible 20-year sentence, but received one year in jail in December 2006 for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old student.

Erica Baker, 23: Teacher at Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School in Erie County, Pa., charged Nov. 13, 2007, in connection with a lesbian relationship with a local teenage girl. Baker was just a student teacher in training at Strong Vincent High School when she originally met the female student. Police say the pair would drive to a parking lot at a campground to engage in sexual contact.

Erica Rutters, 29: Teacher at Oxford Christian Academy in New Oxford, Pa., allegedly wrote erotic messages to a 16-year-old student and had sexual intercourse with him four times in her apartment. She pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor, and received no jail time, just three years of probation in March 2006.

Erica Umosella

Erica Umosella, 28: This southern New Jersey high school physical education teacher was charged with three sex-related offenses, including first-degree aggravated sexual assault, in May 2007 after an alleged three-month relationship with a 17-year-old member of the girl's field hockey team came to light in an anonymous letter to the principal. Umosella, who has been teaching at the school since 2003, was released from police custody after paying $50,000 in bail.

Erin McLean

Erin McLean, 30: Student teacher at West High School in Knoxville, Tenn., who became sexually involved with student Sean Powell in 2005. On March 10, 2006, police say McLean's husband, using a shotgun, killed the 18-year-old boy as he sat in his car outside the McLean's home. Eric McLean was charged in the boy's death and is out on bail. Temporary custody of the couple's children was awarded to the wife. Erin McLean subsequently was hired, under her maiden name, at a Christian school, but was dismissed after a parent complained of her attentions toward a 17-year-old boy. She disappeared in Sept. 2007 from Knoxville with her children, telling an uncle she was going to Califoria to meet someone she met on the Internet.

Franca and Antonia Munoz-Juvera

Franca and Antonia Munoz-Juvera, 26: These twin sisters – both teachers – were arrested in Southern California in December 2006 in connection with alleged lewd acts with an underage female student. Only Franca was charged with "unlawful contact" – Antonia was charged with being aware of the incident and failing to report it as required under California law. An 18-year-old female roommate was also arrested because she "facilitated the crime." On June 6, 2008, Franca was sentenced to 240 days in jail. Antonia and the roomate were sentenced to 120 days in jail to be served on weekends.

Gay Lyn Turley

Gay Lyn Turley, 42: Mesa High School teacher and softball coach in Scottsdale, Ariz., was arrested on Dec. 19, 2007, after a 20-year-old woman who had lived with her told police of their sexual relationship that began when she was 16 and a student at Mesa. The relationship had soured between the pair earlier in the year.

Georgianne Harrell, 24: Teacher at Holley Elementary School in Sylvester, Ga., charged with performing oral sex on a 9-year-old boy in April 2005, allowing students to gaze down her blouse and slashing her wrists with glass in front of her students. Though she originally pleaded not guilty, she changed her plea to guilty just before trial, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for aggravated child molestation.

Gwen Cardozo

Gwen Cardozo, 33: Teacher at Wasson High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., accused of having sex with a 17-year-old male student. Police charged her with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, and Cardozo resigned her position in March 2005. She pleaded guilty in July 2005 and received a deferred sentence, meaning no jail time if she remains trouble-free for four years.

Heather Lea Burroughs

Heather Lea Burroughs, 23: Substitute teacher at Pahokee Middle-Senior High in Pahokee, Fla., arrested Jan. 22, 2007, for allegedly performing a sex act on a student in an empty classroom during school hours. Palm Beach County district officials did not release the student's name, age or gender, but arrest records indicate the student was between 12 and 18. If convicted of the first-degree felony of sexual assault, Burroughs could face up to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Heather Ingram, 30: Mathematics, science and business teacher at Chatelech Secondary School in Sechelt, British Columbia, had sex with a 17-year-old student. The relationship cost Ingram her job and reportedly led to the breakup of her 12-year common-law marriage to a man four years her senior.

Heather Kennedy

Heather Kennedy, 25: Popular math teacher and track coach at Wantagh High School on Long Island, N.Y, was arrested March 27, 2008, and charged with statutory rape. She was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old male student in the parking lot of a neighboring high school. One shocked student said, "I'm really shocked. She's an amazing teacher. She's willing to do anything with the students." On July 22, 2008, while awaiting sentencing after having pleaded guilty, Kennedy was charged with having another five sexual trysts with the boy. "Almost immediately after she walked out of court, she was having contact with the victim by phone and in person," Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

Heather Thorsby

Heather Thorsby, 34: Art teacher at Independence High School in Franklin, Tenn., indicted in November 2007 on seven counts, including three charges of statutory rape. Thorsby is accused of inappropriate behavior with a 17-year-old female student. The relationship reportedly began as a friendship, but turned sexual, with alleged contact at school and home. Thorsby was sentenced to three years in prison on July 28, 2008.

Hope Jacoby

Hope Jacoby, 23: The athletic trainer at Tustin High School in Orange County, Calif., was arrested Christmas Eve 2008 on suspicion of oral copulation of a minor and unlawful sex with a minor. Jacoby had worked with athletes at the school for the last year. "Even though the age gap may be fairly close, it's still illegal and we will arrest," a Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

Jacquelyn Faith Garrison, 19: Substitute teacher at South Central High School in Winterville, N.C., was indicted in January 2006 on charges she was having an improper relationship with a 15-year-old student. The case involves some 50 phone calls and text messages exchanged between Garrison and the boy, who reportedly became uncomfortable when things of a sexual nature came up.

Jamie Armstrong

Jamie Armstrong, 25: Science teacher at Tara High School in East Baton Rouge, La., was arrested in April 2007 for allegedly having sexual relations with a 16-year-old female student, including one occasion at the school. The girl was not in Armstrong's class, but was tutored by her several times per week. According to a probable cause affidavit, the girl she told deputies she visited Armstrong at her residence on several occasions and had consensual sex with her at least three times, even spending the entire night with the instructor.

Janelle Batkins

Janelle Batkins, 42: French teacher at Roseville High School in Roseville, Mich., was arrested in September 2007 and charged with two counts of third degree criminal sexual conduct for a relationship with a 17-year-old student that had begun the previous December and lasted until June. The former "teacher of the year" resigned her position.

Janelle Bird

Janelle Marie Bird, 24: Accused of having a two-year affair with a 15-year-old student from East Hill Christian School, in Pensacola, Fla. Declaring her love for the boy, she was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery and two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Though Bird could have received 30 years upon conviction, she was sentenced in 2006 to two years in state prison.

Janet Hughes

Janet Hughes, 32: Viera, Fla., teacher at Jackson Middle School in Titusville, Fla., arrested April 23, 2007, after detectives found her in the company of a 16-year-old male student inside a van in a church parking lot. According to the arrest affidavit, Hughes, who is a wife and mother, admitted to engaging in sexual activity with the boy on at least one occasion.

Janet Parker

Janet Parker, 26: This East Texas teacher might have gotten way with her alleged sexual relationship with a male student if the teen hadn't had a screensaver on his cell phone that featured a tobacco product. The woman had been investigated by authorities in late 2006 when suspicions were aroused, but nothing could be proved. The tobacco screensaver resulted in the phone being confiscated at school in May 2007 and other "inappropriate" images of Parker were discovered. A warrant revealed similar images on her own computer and she is now facing nearly two dozen charges.

Jaymee Wallace

Jaymee Wallace, 28: Basketball coach in Tampa, Fla., charged with having an 18-month lesbian relationship with a student. Authorities say the student, who was 15 when she met Wallace, voluntarily had sex with the coach more than 50 times, in a parking lot at Busch Gardens and often at Wallace's own apartment while a fellow classmate was in an adjacent room. According to the police report, the sexual relationship reportedly began in early 2003, after the student received a note from Wallace saying she "found her attractive and wanted to know if she felt the same way." On Dec. 5, 2007, Wallace was sentenced to three years of prison, followed by three years of sex offender probation.

Jennifer Cisco

Jennifer Cisco, 30: School nurse at Green Forest High School in Green Forest, Ark., arrested on Nov. 14, 2007, for a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male student and providing two 17-year-old male students with beer. The school recently received a grant for $10,000 to start a school-based health clinic study. Cisco applied for the grant and the school was rather excited about getting the program off the ground.

Jennifer Dempsey

Jennifer Dempsey, 28: Spanish teacher at Oswego County High School, Syracuse, N.Y., was arrested March 25, 2008, for having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old male student. Dempsey had been suspended from teaching two months before after a parent complained of inappropriate electronic messages sent to "three of four" of her children.

Jennifer Dorland

Jennifer Dorland, 42: Grade 7 and 8 teacher at Rothwell-Osnabruck School, Ingleside, Ontario, was found guilty on Dec. 20, 2007, of sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference with a 13-year-old boy in September 2004. She admitted she had sent inappropriate e-mails to the former student, but denied she had engaged in a sexual relationship with the young male. "It was absolutely a terrible, horrible idea. I have been paying for that e-mail and conversation for two years," she said.

Jennifer Mally

Jennifer Mally, 26: English teacher and cheerleading coach at Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Ariz., arrested in May 2007 and charged with 29 counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Police said the parents of the victim – a 16-year-old male student – contacted the school about a possible sexual relationship between their son and Mally that may have been going on since October 2006.

Jennifer Rice

Jennifer Rice, 31: Tacoma, Wash., teacher arrested Aug. 11, 2007, for allegedly kidnapping and raping her 10-year-old student numerous times. Rice was an instructor at McKinley Elementary School whose contract was not renewed after the school received complaints she was socializing inappropriately with students. Authorities say Rice admitted she raped the fourth-grade boy at a rest stop, and court documents indicate the pair had intercourse several times on previous occasions, including once in the boy's home. On Sept. 10, 2007, prosecutors filed additional charges against Rice for allegedly raping another boy, age 14- to 16-years old.

Jennifer Tarkenton

Jennifer Tarkenton, 34: Teacher at Greenwood Lakes Middle School in Lake Mary, Fla., was arrested on Nov. 30, 2007, on three counts of lewd or lascivious battery on a child after police found her and a 14-year-old male student in her car. The boy told deputies that he and Tarkenton had sex inside the vehicle after she picked him up at his house, drove to a nearby pharmacy and purchased condoms.

Joan Marie Sladky, 28: Redwood City, Calif., woman sentenced to six months in county jail for having sex with a 16-year-old student after pleading no contest to four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, oral copulation and penetration with a foreign object. The Spanish teacher's relationship with the boy spanned six months, as she reportedly had sex with him once at his home and three times at her residence, which was on the property of the private Baptist church and school where she taught.

Jodi Church

Jodi Church, 26: Teacher at Manual High School in Peoria, Ill., arrested March 2, 2007, for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old male student. Church faced one count of criminal sexual assault, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. She also faced federal charges of enticement for allegedly using MySpace.com to try to persuade a different 16-year-old male student to have sex with her.

Julia Lund

Julia Lund, 28: Language teacher at Chaska High School in Minnesota, arrested in December 2006, charged with third-degree sexual assault for allegedly performing oral sex on a 17-year-old male student. The victim told police he first noticed Lund staring at him in the school hallway, before she asked him to contact her. Lund allegedly told the boy her husband was away and she was lonely. During her trial, Lund's defense argued not all wrongdoing was criminal. The jury agreed, and acquitted her on July 16, 2007.

Julie A. Denno

Julie A. Denno, 27: The former teacher at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Conn., was charged Sept. 26, 2008, for second-degree sexual assault and impairing the morals of a minor, for sexual assaults that occurred during a two-month period in her home. Police wouldn't say the age of the student – a boy – to protect his identity.

Julie Pritchett, 34: Female special education teacher and sponsor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club at Clay-Chalkville Middle School in Jefferson County, Ala., was charged in June 2008 with having sex with at least eight high school students between the ages of 15 and 19. When Pritchett discovered she was being investigated, she reportedly changed her phone number, shut down her MySpace account and resigned from her teaching position where she was a tenured teacher.

Kanesa Hopkins

Kanesa Hopkins, 31: "Teacher of the Year" at Westview Middle School in Goose Creek, S.C., was fired in May 2007 in the wake of allegations she had sex with a 14-year-old female student four years earlier. Court documents indicate Hopkins was also the girl's Sunday School teacher and police said church officials questioned the amount of time the two spent together in December 2002. The relationship allegedly became sexual in January 2003.

Karen Patton

Karen Patton, 41: English teacher and cheerleading coach at Scott Memorial Middle School in Wytheville, Va., resigned in January 2006 after she was charged with having oral sex with a 13-year-old student. Patton was arrested after the boy's mother went to police with instant messages between the boy and Patton, and what appeared to be a handwritten letter from Patton that referenced a sexual relationship. On March 12, 2007, she pleaded no contest to two counts of carnal knowledge and one count of non-forcible sodomy.

Karen Robbins

Karen Robbins: Laurens County, S.C., woman was charged on Sept. 23, 2007, with criminal sexual conduct with a minor and committing a lewd act upon a child. Police say the incidents took place in her car and in her home. The alleged crimes occured when the former teacher was working at Bell Street Middle School in Clinton. This is the same school where teacher Allenna Ward, also on this list, had sex with five boys.

Katherine J. Harder

Katherine J. Harder, 31 Language arts teacher at Manhattan High School, near Topeka, Kansas, was arrested March 26, 2008, when a deputy on patrol found the woman and a 17-year-old male student allegedly having sexual relations in a parked car near a local dam. While Kansas teens can legally consent to sex at age 16, it is a felony for teachers to have relations with any student of any age who attends the school where they work. Harder resigned her position then rescinded her decision. The school board voted to fire her on April 2, 2008.

Katherine Hicks

Katherine Hicks, 39: Kindergarten teacher from Niangua, Mo., charged in March 2009 with having sexual contact with a high-school boy and furnishing pornography to him. Police said the investigation of Hicks started after the student's mother complained to city police. In the probable cause affidavit, a detective said the 17-year-old student indicated he and Hicks had a personal relationship that included kissing, him touching her breast, her touching his rear, as well as an exchange of nude pictures and "dirty messages" via cellular telephones. The student was in her classroom to be a tutor for the A+ Program, which requires high school students to tutor other students as one requirement to be eligible for a community college scholarship.

Katherine Tew

Katherine Tew, 30: Married English teacher from Greenville, N.C., arrested for having sex with a 17-year-old boy. She taught at South Central High School in Winterville, N.C., and was convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child, but found not guilty of the more serious sex charge. She was not given prison time, and lost her teaching license for at least two years.

Kathy White, 39: Teacher at Lumberton High School in Lumberton, Texas, charged with having sex with a 17-year-old student. The victim, Michael Ferguson, alleges: "She just started grabbing me and hormones were on and it just happened." Ferguson provided KBTV-TV with an e-mail allegedly sent by White, in which the teacher told him, "I get these cravings for YOU and that's not NORMAL! If I had it my way, I'd do you once a week just because it's good."

Katryna Martin

Katryna Martin, 28: The eighth-grade science teacher at North Gulfport School in Gulfport, Miss., was arrested on Feb. 13, 2009, and charged with unlawful touching of a child for lustful purposes and sexual battery. Police said the alleged victim was one of Martin's former students who was being tutored in her home. After making bail, Martin was placed under house arrest and fitted with an electronic GPS bracelet and ordered not to enter a "1 1/2 square mile red zone" around the girl's residence and school. She was arrested a second time on March 4, 2009, and charged with statuatory rape for alleged sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old male student at her home in July 2008.

Celeste Emerick, 32: Police in Huber Heights, Ohio, say the Wayne High School teacher hosted a party where students were shown pornography. Prosecutors charged her with one count of sexual battery, a felony in Ohio.

Kellie Ann Cormican

Kellie Ann Cormican, 38:The former teacher's aide from the Crookston, Minn., school district changed her plea to guilty on Dec. 17, 2008, for her sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy in August, September and November of 2007. In exchange for her guilty plea to five counts of third-degree criminal sexual contact, five charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct were dropped. Cormican told police she thought the boy was 16, not 14.

Christina Oliver

Kelly Abdo, 28: The former teacher and volleyball coach at Monroe High School in Michigan was charged in November 2008 with indecent exposure based on allegations two 17-year-old high school students saw her having sex in a car outside a party with another male student, also 17, earlier in the year. The student initially denied the accusation and, because he turned 18 and Michigan does not prohibit sex between teachers and 18-year olds, that incident was not at trial. Abdo insisted on her innocence but pleaded no contest on March 25, 2009, and was sentenced to two years probation. Abdo's husband filed for divorce on March 13.

Kelly Dalecki

Kelly Lynn Dalecki, 26: Elementary-school teacher from St. Augustine, Fla., pleaded no contest to charges she had sex with a 13-year-old boy in 2003. The boy's parents reportedly found more than 50 sexually explicit e-mails and pornographic pictures allegedly sent by Dalecki on his computer. Dalecki was sentenced to nearly a year in prison.

Kelsey Peterson

Kelsey Peterson, 25: Sixth grade math teacher and basketball coach at Lexington Middle School, Neb., was arrested Nov. 3, 2007, in Mexicali, Mexico, with a 13-year-old boy from her school with whom she is believed to have been having a sexual relationship. The boy was an illegal alien in the United States. Peterson faces charges of kidnapping, child abuse, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, as well as federal charges for transporting a minor across a foreign border for sexual activity.

Kesha D. Manuel, 29

Kesha D. Manuel, 29: The former Belaire High School art teacher from Baton Rouge, La., received active supervised probation for five years and unsupervised bench probation for two years on Feb. 17, 2009, after pleading guilty to a felony charge of cruelty to a juvenile and a misdemeanor charge of carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Manuel was originally sentenced to eight years hard labor and six additional months in prison on the two charges but the sentence was suspended. Manuel was arrested in October 2007. According to reports, she and the 15-year-old student frequently exchanged letters during the school day, and on Oct. 20, 2007, they met at a public library and had sexual intercourse in a stall in the women's restroom. Manuel admitted to a deputy she allowed him to kiss and fondle her in her classroom during free periods.

Kimberly Lynch

Kimberly Lynch, 37: Macedon, N.Y., woman was a teacher's aide at Palmyra-Macedon High School who admitted having a sexual affair with a 16-year-old male student, including in school halls, in a car and at the boy's home in February 2004. The married mother of three reportedly detailed the tryst in love letters the local newspaper said included discussion about having a baby together.

Kirsten Kinley

Kirsten Kinley, 27: Special-education teacher at Hammond Middle School in Howard County, Md., arrested in February 2007 for alleged sexual activity with a 15-year-old boy on New Year's Eve 2004 and in January 2005. Court documents indicate the boy told police the pair chatted online when Kinley asked him if "he was a virgin and then asked him to have sex with her." He also said Kinley warned him not to tell anyone about their discussions or their planned activity. She was originally charged with two counts of third-degree sex offense, two counts of fourth-degree sex offense and two counts of solicitation of a minor. On Aug. 28, 2007, Kinley pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree sex offense.

Kristen Margrif

Kristen Margrif, 27: Mayville, Mich., teacher accused of having sex with a 16-year-old male student in her car or at his summer workplace in June and July 2005. She was given a one-year delayed sentence in June 2006 on three felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student, meaning she'll only have to serve probation if she remains trouble-free for a year.

Kristi Oakes

Kristi Dance Oakes, 32: Teacher allegedly had sex with a 16-year-old boy who was in her biology class the previous year. Oakes resigned from her post at Seymour High School in Sevierville, Tenn., and reportedly lost her home and even the job she took at a grocery store after resigning from the school system because of the charges. In July 2006, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in jail.

Lakina Stutts, 40: School-bus driver admitted to cops she had sex with a 14-year-old student in her home and in a car outside the boy's home.

Laura Lynn Findlay, 30: Band teacher at Ricker Middle School in Buena Vista Township, Mich., charged with having sex with at least 5 students, one as young as 14. She was sentenced in August 2006 to at least seven and as much as 25 years in prison.

Laura Pace

Laura Pace, 38: Eustis High School teacher was arrested Oct. 17, 2008, by the Lake County, Fla., sheriff after investigators said they substantiated rumors that she had sex with two of her students. Court papers allege that Pace, who is married, had an ongoing relationship with one teen, then an encounter with the second. The papers say she sent images of her breasts and buttocks to one teen via cell phone.

Lauren Cosgrove

Lauren Cosgrove, 28: This 7th-grade teacher at Strickland Middle School in Denton, Texas, found herself in jail, charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, for allegedly having a two-day sexual relationship with a former student, 13, in July 2007. She was babysitting the boy at the time.

Leslie Baird

Leslie Baird, 42: Teacher at Tooele High School in Tooele, Utah, arrested in 2006 for allegedly having sex with two male students, ages 17 and 18. The mother of the 17-year-old boy said her son's grades dropped from straight As to barely passing in the wake of the activity, and he no longer participates in sports. In January 2007, Baird was sentenced to undergo a 90-day psychological evaluation at Utah State Prison after pleading guilty to a felony charge of forcible sexual abuse. Her judge was Mark Kouris, the same jurist who came under fire for giving Cameo Patch, another teacher at the same school, no jail time for performing oral sex on a 17-year-old male student.

Linda Nef

Linda Nef, 46: The Utah studies teacher and cheerleading adviser at Bountiful Junior High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, was arrested on March 6, 2009 for sexual assault on a 13-year-old boy after turning herself into the police. During her confession, she gave police the name of another teacher, Valynne Bowers, who had begun having sex with the same student after her relationship ended. Bowers was also arrested. Until shortly before the arrests, the two teachers did not know about each other's relationship with the same boy, a police spokesman said.

Lisa Lavoie

Lisa Lavoie, 24: Teacher from Maurice A. Donahue Elementary School in Holyoke, Mass., arrested Feb. 24, 2009, at a Super 8 Motel in Morgantown, W.Va., with a 15-year old male student with whom she allegedly absconded from Massachusetts. Lavoie, a rookie teacher with the district for just 5 months, was reportedly intoxicated at the time of her arrest. Lavoie was held on child enticement charges, which may include statutory rape. Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan said, "This is really a very unfortunate incident and we're thankful it didn't end in tragedy."

Lisa Robyn Marinelli

Lisa Robyn Marinelli, 40: An educator in Tampa Bay, the investigation into her activities was launched after a 17-year-old boy's father told investigators he saw his son "holding his pants together and putting them back in place" after getting out of Marinelli's 2007 Chrysler 300. Spokesman Kevin Doll of the Pasco County sheriff's office said she was arrested March 24, 2008, and accused of unlawful sex with a minor. She also is accused of giving the boy a pair of underwear as a memento. Marinelli was the third Tampa Bay area teacher to be charged in a short period of time with a sex-related crime against a minor. In Hillsborough County, former Davidsen Middle School math teacher Stephanie Ragusa and Freedom High English teacher Mary Jo Spack of Wesley Chapel were accused of having sex with underage students.

Lynn Saunders, 38: A former basketball star at the College of Staten Island, the gym teacher at St. Paul's School in New Brighton, N.Y., was arrested in March 2005 for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl whose family she had befriended. Saunders admitted to touching the girl's breasts and genital area on several dates in February 2005. She received no jail time, only probation and registration as a sex offender. The family is now suing Saunders and the Archdiocese of New York, claiming the girl became suicidal and still suffers from "severe emotional shock, trauma, embarrassment, anxiety and other psychological injuries."

Margaret De Barraicua

Margaret De Barraicua, 30: Sacramento, Calif., area woman arrested in February 2005 after police found her having sex with a 16-year-old male student in her car while the woman's toddler was strapped into a seat in the back. She pleaded guilty to four felony counts of statutory rape and in November 2005 was sentenced to a year in jail and five years formal probation.

Maria Saco, 28: Math teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Passaic, N.J., sentenced in 2005 to a year in jail for an intimate relationship with a teen student who was 14 when they first met. Saco reportedly gave the boy a key to her apartment.

Mariella Brenlla

Mariella Brenlla, 40:Ponce De Leon Middle School teacher in the Miami-Dade district was arrested on Aug. 22, 2007, following an investigation sparked by a former student who alleged sexual contact some four years before when the child was a 14-year-old eighth-grader. "(Students) come here and it's supposed to be like a protective zone for them, a safe zone for them, and not a zone where they have to be afraid if a teacher's going to come onto them," said a parent reacting to news of the arrest.

Mary Jo Spack

Mary Jo Spack, 45: Honors English teacher at Freedom High School in Tampa, Fla., arrested March 20, 2008, after she allegedly met two male students at a liquor store, took them to a motel, and had sex with one of them in the shower as four other students overheard in the next room. The boy's boasting about having had sex with a teacher eventually caught the attention of a school resource officer. "I think the public feels this is an epidemic, and I'm very concerned about it," said Hillsborough County School Board member April Griffin, who called for a special meeting to discuss the recent rash of teacher sex scandals.

Mary Kay Letourneau

Mary Kay Letourneau, 34: Des Moines, Wash., teacher did prison time after having sex with a sixth-grade student, Vili Fualaau, in 1996 and eventually had two children by him. She originally had Fualaau in her second-grade class at Shorewood Elementary School in Burien, Wash. The couple has since married.

Megan Sainsbury

Megan Sainsbury, 31: The physical education teacher and former coach at Prospect High School in Saratoga, Calif., was arrested Monday, March 9, 2009, on three misdemeanor counts of "annoying or molesting'' a 17-year-old female student, according to court documents. Here arrest was the third for a lesbian teacher in the same district within a two week period. "You probably noticed that several teachers have been arrested on these types of charges lately," said Santa Clara County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Mike Fletcher. "But teachers are no more likely than doctors, lawyers or newspaper reporters to commit these crimes. Sex crimes affect a wide cross-section of demographics. I think it's just a fluke."

Melinda Deluca

Melinda Deluca, 29: Sign-language teacher at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, Utah, was fired in December 2005 for allegedly having sexual intercourse twice with a 16-year-old male student she reportedly had been "grooming" for sexual activity. The case took a bizarre turn in the summer of 2006, when Deluca was found beaten and had to be airlifted to the hospital, claiming two teen boys attacked her as payback. In reality, she made up the claim in an apparent attempt to get sympathy. In January 2007, she was sentenced to 90 days in jail. The victim' mother said she initially "hated [Deluca] with every part of my being," but later expressed forgiveness, saying "even though she's hurt my family, I've grown to love her."

Melissa Bare, 35: Kitts Hill, W.V., teacher of language arts and writing at Rock Hill Middle School in Ironton, W.V., indicted April 23, 2007, on two counts of sexual battery. Bare pleaded innocent to charges she had sexual contact with a 16-year-old male student in February 2007.

Melissa Deel

Melissa Michelle Deel, 32: Bristol, Tenn., teacher at Virginia Middle School pleaded guilty to crossing the state line into Virginia to have oral sex with a 13-year-old male student in December 2004. As part of her plea agreement, Deel agreed never to profit from the crime, as well as have no contact with the boy and his family without court permission. She was sentenced in 2005 to a year and two months prison.

Melissa Diana Koeh

Melissa Diana Koeh, 30: The ex-teacher at St. Croix Lutheran High School in West St. Paul, Minn., was arrested Dec. 20, 2008, when a police officer found a 17-year-old girl and Koeh, who had been the girl's teacher and coach the previous year, kissing in a car in a parking lot near a soccer field. The girl's parents had allowed the teacher to stay overnight in their home with their daughter and told authorities they believed she had slept on the floor of the girl's bedroom and were unaware of any sexual activity. Koeh was charged with fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and freed on $10,000 bail.

Melissa Lavender

Melissa Lavender, 33: Detroit-area culinary arts teacher at South Lake High School in St. Clair Shores, Mich., was arrested in August 2008 after being accused of engaging in sex acts with two male high-school students, ages 16 and 17, while on a boat owned by the parents of a former student. A published report says Michigan's age of consent is 16, but a state statute makes it illegal for a teacher to engage in sex acts with a student irrespective of the student's age. Lavender, who held her teaching job for six years, was charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Melissa Dawn McCord

Melissa Dawn McCord, 35: Special education teacher at West Carroll Elementary in Atwood, Tenn., faces several charges, including statutory rape by an authority figure after being arrested on Jan. 29, 2009. Police say a 14-year-old junior high student, who had dated McCord's daughter, reported the woman had performed oral sex on him at a city park on two occasions. The police report said the teenager's parents had several text conversations between McCord and the boy in their possession.

Melissa Moss

Melissa Moss, 27: Teacher at Barat Academy in Dardenne Prairie, Mo., allegedly e-mailed two topless photos of herself to one of her 15-year-old students. She was charged Feb. 26, 2008, with furnishing pornographic material to a minor, a misdemeanor.

Meredith Hollen, 40: Former teacher at the prestigious Graland Country Day School in Denver arrested Nov. 2, 2007, for allegedly sexually assaulting a male student off campus before the schoolyear began. She was charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child and another count of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

Meredith Kane