Pennsylvania Teacher Sentenced in Sex Case - Updated

(Norristown, Pennsylvania) In March 2010, former Pottsgrove High School teacher Rebecca Ann Harvey, 34, was convicted in a non-jury trial of misdemeanor corruption of a minor charges.

“She has humiliated herself, disgraced her family name, lost her job and lost her pension,” Montgomery County Judge Joseph A. Smyth said Tuesday as he sentenced Rebecca Ann Harvey to three years’ probation and 225 hours of community service for her contact with the male Pottsgrove student, which occurred between February and July of 2009.

The judge said probation was appropriate in the case given Harvey’s lack of a prior criminal record and background reports that indicated her chances of re-offending are minimal.

Harvey, 34, of Glasgow Street, Stowe, spoke softly and appeared contrite in court.

“I’m sorry for my lapse in judgment. I apologize to all my former students and my parents,” Harvey told the judge as her parents looked on.

Defense lawyer Marc Neff stated that Harvey suffered the most severe punishment by having thrown her career away. She now is pursuing a career in medical billing to support herself and her two children.

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Pennsylvania Teacher Accused of Sex with Male Student
[Previous 7/21/09 post]
(Pottstown, Pennsylvania) A 33-year-old special education teacher at Pottsgrove High School, Rebecca Ann Harvey, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student.

Last week, Harvey was caught by a police officer in the back seat of her car with the youth. Harvey faces charges of corruption of a minor.

The court papers say Harvey made repeated phone calls to police the next day to explain that she did not have sexual relations with the boy.

That same day, police say they spoke with the boy, who told them he met Harvey last July. He said he babysat her two children and developed a sexual relationship with her in February. He said they also exchanged frequent text messages, some of which were "sexual in nature and flirtatious."

Harvey was booked into custody and released on bail. The school system placed her on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.