HOUSTON – It happened nearly 180 times in Texas last school year -- a teacher caught having an inappropriate relationship with a student. Now, the Texas Education Agency is making a bold move to stop this growing trend.
"I started having affairs with my teacher and that's when I started failing geometry," said Joshua Whittingham
Now 20, Whittingham was 15 and a sophomore in high school when he first started having sex with his Spanish teacher who was married.
"I would definitely say she made the first move," Whittingham said.
Teachers having romantic relationships with their students is an issue that's been getting a lot of attention. The Texas Education Agency, which investigates these types of reports, is taking action, but in a different kind of way.
The agency created and produced a series of webisodes designed as training tools for teachers. They were modeled after the hit NBC show "The Office." They're posted on the TEA's YouTube channel.
As the stories unfold, educators get to see concrete examples of behavior that may be considered crossing the line and how poor decision-making can lead to serious consequences, all in a clever, entertaining and informative way.
"We were hearing from districts that they really needed training materials on this topic, specifically. We do believe they are effective. We do believe they are a good reminder for educators how to be ethical and appropriate," said Lauren Callahan, a spokesperson with TEA.
The 10 segments tackle everything from how teachers should handle boundaries and social media to anger management and behavior off campus. But the president of the Houston Federation of Teachers said she believes the TEA missed the mark with educators.
"If they are as insulted as I think they are going to be with the condescending tone of the videos then it will lose some of its effectiveness," Gayle Fallon said.
The TEA insists the videos are not intended to make light of a serious issue. It just wanted to make the message memorable.
Officials with the Houston Federation of Teachers said they constantly drive home the importance of following the district's policies and procedures to its members.
