Texas Teacher Gets Probation in Sex Case - Updated

(Houston, Texas) Former Spring High School teacher Deanna Higgens pleaded guilty yesterday to attempted improper relationship with a teen student.

A charge of sex assault of a child was dismissed.

Prosecutors said the 27-year-old former Spring High School science teacher had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.

Court documents say the teacher's ex-husband noticed some text messages on a phone given to the couple's eight-year-old son by Higgins. Investigators linked the texts to a 16-year-old student's phone.

The probable cause document goes on to say that Higgins and the student had two encounters at the teacher's home in March and April of 2009.

Higgins was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine. Harsh? I don't think so.

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Texas Teacher Accused of Sex with Student
[Previous 10/13/09 post]
(Spring, Texas) A science teacher at Spring High School, Deanna Higgins, has been accused of engaging in inappropriate relations with a student. Higgins faces charges of improper relations between an educator and student and sexual assault of a child.

In a letter to parents posted on the Spring ISD Web site, administrators say the DA accepted charges against Higgins on Monday.

Higgins, a science teacher, was placed on paid administrative leave in January 2009 after a third party brought the allegations to district officials.

"The Spring High School Administration and Spring ISD Police Department immediately began investigating the allegation after receiving a report from a third party," the letter reads.

Information on arrest was not disclosed.