Lesbo Teacher Sentenced in Fishy Sex Case

(Easton, Pennsylvania) Former Freedom High School substitute teacher and assistant basketball coach, Sara Singley, 28, pleaded guilty last month to child endangerment resulting from a lesbian sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.

Yesterday, Northampton County Judge Edward G. Smith sentenced Singley to 30 days in county prison and granted immediate work release. Since the prison doesn't have a work release facility for women, Singley will be electronically monitored, presumably with an ankle bracelet.

From NJ.com:

Singley told Smith she was "scared to death of jail," but the judge said his sentence had to include prison time to show the community that children are safe when they go to school and are put in the care of adults.

"Teachers, coaches, a person of authority cannot have a (sexual) relationship with a child. The only way you can send that message is a period of incarceration," Smith said.

Evidently, sometime afterward Singley was given the electronic monitor and released. So much for Judge Smith's "period of incarceration."

In my estimation, there's something screwy about this case. Albeit sketchy, the reporting has focused on how good a person Singley is. She was tearfully apologetic and her victim pleaded for leniency. Singley states she just fell in love and her weakness was that she cared too much. And, somehow in the scheme of everything, West Easton Mayor Gerald W. Gross sent a letter to the court vouching for Singley's character.

Too many hearts and flowers for my taste and it wouldn't bother me if she actually were sentenced to time in jail. As it is, many hearts and flowers and no time in jail makes everything smell a bit fishy.


[Update - 03/16/06]

In a followup report:

Sara Singley, a substitute teacher and assistant basketball coach, won permission for early release from Northampton County Judge Edward G. Smith due to prison overcrowding and her lack of a prior criminal record, according to court records.

Consequently, Singley ends up spending two whole days of her thirty-day minimum sentence behind bars. Of course, this also indicates that previous reports were not only sketchy but misleading.

So, a teacher gets two days in jail for a sexual relationship with a student. I'd bet there are a lot of teachers that would make that trade in a heartbeat. Just doing the math, a guy could do his whole class and still have time to enjoy part of his summer vacation.