Doable Teacher Skates, Students Rejoice

(Tulare, California) Last April, first-year Tulare Western High School English teacher Elizabeth Stow, 26, was arrested for having sex with three students. She was charged with seven counts of having sex with a minor and five counts of oral copulation with a minor for incidents with three underage students between September and December of 2004.

In May, Stow appeared in court and waived her right to a speedy trial which gave her defense attorney, David Allen, additional time to negotiate a plea agreement with the prosecution.

Encapsulating Stow's malfeasance, she graduated from college, started teaching at Tulare High School and, before the first mid-term, began having sexual relations with three students. To compound her troubles, Stow was on probation from a drunken driving conviction when she was arrested for having sex with students. In the meantime, Stow was free on $10,000 bail.

In June, Stow pleaded no contest to 12 felony counts, including sexual intercourse with a minor and oral copulation.

Yesterday, Elizabeth Stow was sentenced in Tulare County Superior Court.

Judge Walter Gorelick gave her a suspended prison sentence of nine years and four months. Stow instead was sent to county jail for one year, followed by five years of probation with 28 special conditions such as seeking counseling and surrendering her teaching credential.

Apparently, Stow's one-year sentence, which begins in about a month, could be served under house arrest.

Understandably, the prosecution expressed concern that the lenient sentence would send a signal that sex between students and teachers is not a serious offense. Duh! Ya' think?

In my estimation, Stow's light punishment, coupled with similar sentencing of loose female teachers throughout the U.S., is breaking down a traditional barrier. No longer do students and teachers consider classroom jiggy-jiggy a taboo. It's become doable. Sure, you're not supposed to but, if you get caught, it's no big deal.

Presumably, they're high-fiving in the boys' locker room at Tulare Western High School.

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.


[Update 12/19/06]

Stow's sentence made more lenient.