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Middle School Teacher Caught In Hotel With 15-Year-Old Female Student
Crystal Nicole Rodriguez worked as a special education teacher at Page Middle School.
A middle school teacher in San Antonio, Texas, has been arrested after being caught in bed with a former student. Crystal Nicole Rodriguez, 29, was arrested on Sunday on the charge of having an improper relationship between an educator and a student, the Dallas News reported.
Rodriguez worked as a special education teacher at Page Middle School. She was also a coach for several girls' teams at the school, per KSAT. The victim was a former student at the school.
According to a preliminary police report, the teacher “admitted to having a sexual relationship” with the teen when questioned by authorities, reported Dallas News. Rodriguez was released from custody after posting a $20,000 bond. It is unclear if she has released a statement at this time.
Authorities have not released the location of the hotel where the two were found. They have also not revealed details about the identity of the student, as she is a minor.
Officials at the San Antonio Independent School District said they are currently investigating the allegations following the arrest.
“We are working to gather information to ensure we have full knowledge of what has occurred,” the district said in a statement on Tuesday, per the New York Post.
Page Middle School serves seventh and eighth grade students. Crystal Rodriguez is still listed as an employee on the school's official website. According to the San Antonio Independent School District, it will report Rodriguez's arrest to the Texas State Board of Education.
There has been heightened awareness around female teachers preying upon students. Almost 800 school employees were prosecuted for sexual assault in 2014, and nearly one-third of them were women, as the Huffington Post reported. Changing attitudes about sexuality and gender roles has led to more attention for these cases.
“Law enforcement is increasingly feminized, and women are much less prone to the old attitude: ‘Oh, this is just some kid who got lucky,’” shared David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center. “They recognize the issues involved and they go after women who violate the statutes.”
According to Terry Abbott, a former chief of staff at the US Department of Education who has worked on such cases, female teachers are more likely to use social media to lure students. This has helped create a paper trail that authorities often use for prosecution.
[Photo: Bexar County Sheriff's Office]
