High School Band Teacher gets probation and ajudication for having sex with student

I beleive the teacher was only about 3 years older than her my grandmother and pa paw were farther apart than that at her age she can be tried as an adult in a court of law and she is responsible for her actions as well as him so where is the line between adult and kid 17, 18 ,21?she wanted it and he wanted it I would fire him but he should do no time

She wanted it? The reason we have statutory rape laws is the same reason we don't give children the vote, we figure they are not mature enough intellectually or emotionally to make those sorts of decisions. That being said, does the fact that they were only three years apart mitigate it somehow? Perhaps, I imagine that's why the sentence is not stiffer. I think the main issue here is not the age difference but the power imbalance between student and teacher. Not knowing all the details I don't want to say this guy should do hard time, but he definitely should not be allowed into that situation again. As for when it became ok for adults to have sex with minors? Ask all of Roman Polanski's apologists about that, they seem to have all the answers. Perhaps if this guy had directed an award-winning film or two he might have gotten off even easier.

well did the student want to have sex? think about it ?

is it really his fault

unless the student wanted to

I will say this. The teacher is only human and the girl is probably very mature for her age which makes the temptation even greater for some people. However, right is right and wrong is wrong and the law is the law. He obviously acted out his fantasies and he broke the law and knew what he was doing was wrong. That being said, even if she was 17 3/4 years old, he still needs to be held accountable and should lose his job and do a little time behind bars.

You people are disgusting whether it was three years apart or not the student is still a minor, and the teacher is an adult the teacher should no better.

Ok, so did anyone actually read the article, the teacher was not 3 years older than the student, but rather he was 14 years older. He most definitely should be doing time.

My reality is this...I manage a quick service restaurant for a major corp. I am in my upper 40's but I continually deflect the advances of "high-school" age employees.....mostly financislly dis-advantaged, is it because I'm "all that"? No! Younger people look to their superiors for guidance, approval, and re-assurance. You take advantage of your superior position then no you are no better than the "Chester" that offers candy to the children that are our future! Our responsibility is to guide them, not to abuse them!!

Send this guy to prison, where they know how to deal with child in-decision and molestation!

Ok, first let's look at Texas Age-of-Consent law: (http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/pe/pe002100.html#pe005.21.11) The age of consent in Texas is 17. That being said, no person under the age of 17 can legally give consent to have sex. In this instance, the 'victim' is 16 years old; it does not matter if she "...wanted it" or if she gave consent because she cannot, by law, do so. Now, before someone jumps the gun here and claims that in Texas, a person may have consensual sex with a minor under 16 as long as the person is within three years of the age of the minor. Not! Texas State law states that "...it is a defense to having sexual intercourse with a person UNDER 17 if the accused is within three years of age." Interpreted; it is not legal - it is only a defense the court may consider as far as mitigating the crime. It is still a CRIME. If you are 18 or older and you have sex with a 'child' under the age of 17, it is child rape.

Now, how did this 'man' teacher get off so lightly for raping this 16 year old female child? To be honest, I'm amazed. What amazes me though is that most of you are outraged because this is a man taking advantage of a little girl. On the flip side, if this were a FEMALE teacher and a 16 year old boy, most of you would congratulating the boy for 'getting lucky' (especially if the female teacher is 'hot'). In fact, if this were a female teacher, this would not be much of a story at all; the teacher getting probation would be 'no big deal'.

STOP MITIGATING THIS CRIME! It shouldn't matter if the victim was consensual to the sex, or if the teacher is a man or a woman. The only questions that matter are: is the victim under the age of 17, and did the legally adult teacher engage in a sex act with the child? If the answers are yes and yes, then a child molestation and/or child rape has occurred and the penalty is thus - the same for men and women both! Remember, a child (under the age of 17 in Texas) CANNOT give legal consent to have sex. If a child engages in sex - even if completely willing - it is rape. Don't make it anything less.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Female teachers have been getting far LESS punishment for molesting students. Hardly anyone complains when that happens, so why shouldn't male teachers who molest students get the same sweet deals? The Supreme Court of the State of Georgia recently ruled that it is LEGAL for a teacher to have a sexual relationship with a student who is at least 16 years of age. It's just one more example of the moral death of the United States.

Well said, but my point was with the responsibility of the "role model" let alone the desire of the minor! regardless of age....or proximity of age!

child molester/teacher the judge was a child molester too!!!!they stick together .

Well, this one time, in band camp...

Just one more example of how far from morality our justice system has become.Just a little laxity here,and a little rule bending there--and we wind up with stupid judicial decisions like this.Maybe the teacher had something on the judge---or lawyers.Eliminate God from all facets of our lives,and this is the outcome.

The only thing I can think is that the teacher was well-connected sociopolitically, or he had the resources to hire a great lawyer.

"Normal everyday people" just don't get these kinds of breaks. He's in Texas, hmmmm. Follow the money trail. This guy's family probably has ties to a senator or probably even to the Bush family.

Oh, look-ee here. There's a guy name "Shawn Vassell" who was a staffer for Conrad Burns. Mr. Shawn Vassell went to work for Mr. Abramoff. Through Abramoff, Mr. Vassell has ties to Tom Delay through several of his former staffers.

I don't know yet if this Shawn Vassell is related to Phillip Vassell, but it's not a common last name.

Link: http://www.therestofus.org/dec05reformreporter.pdf

(You'll have to do a ctrl-f to find the reference to Shawn Vassell).

at 16 girls don't know what they want, they see being hit on by an older man is cool and that he really loves her, adults manipulate young children. people will say anything to get in a girls pants, so yes statutory rape is placed in affect for theses exact reasons. "She wanted it" that;s like saying a younger child wanted to be raped and sodomized by the next door neighbor.

but really... have you seen 16 year old highschool girls?... they're pretty hot.

The whole subject and most of the responses are sad.  The attitudes and the subject it self is a facinating study of human behavior and human responses to those who go outside the law to pursue their needs.

The whole subject and most of the responses are sad. The attitudes and the subject it self is a facinating study of human behavior and human responses to those who go outside the law to pursue their needs.

About darn time! Female teacher have had sex with underage male students in the past and have only received probation for their crime. A victory for male justice.

that's crap