As upstanding pillars of society, teachers are people we hope that we can trust. We hope that they will look after our society's children, that they'll teach and educate them to a high standard, and - above all - that they'll do their best to make sure nothing bad happens to them.
Unfortunately, some people in the education system abuse their positions, and we frequently hear stories of adults manipulating children and minors into inappropriate relationships.
Haley Reed, a 35-year-old high school choir director at Oldham County High School, Kentucky, was arrested last week after it transpired that she had been engaging in unlawful sexual contact with a juvenile student while on school property.
Reed, who is married, was apprehended last week after local law enforcement received a tip about her having a sexual relationship with a pupil at her school. After being questioned, the teacher readily admitted to the affair and said that she had slept with the minor eight times between the months of April and June this year.
The encounters, she said, had all taken place on school property - albeit outside of teaching hours. She was asked to provide a recorded audio statement about the incidents.
As a result of her actions, Reed has been charged with multiple counts of rape in the third degree, sodomy in the third degree (which can apply to oral or anal sex under Kentucky laws), and unlawful transaction with a minor (classified as anyone under the age of 18). It has not been disclosed exactly how old the pupil was.
This is not the first time this year that a female teacher has been charged with engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor.
In January, a 25-year-old South Carolina school counsellor was arrested after sleeping with a teenage student just months after starting her position at the school; and a couple of months later in Florida, a married teacher began a relationship with a boy who was just 14 years old.
One of the most bizarre cases was an Ohio teacher who engaged in sexual conduct with a student that she had legally adopted. Laura Lynn Cross, a 37-year-old woman, admitted to three counts of sexual battery after it was discovered that she had been sleeping with her former student (who was also simultaneously under her legal care), and was subsequently jailed last month.
Oldham County Schools released a statement last Thursday night after Reed was formally arrested:
"District administrators are aware of the charges against a teacher at Oldham County High School. We are cooperating with police during this investigation and the teacher will have no further contact with students for the remainder of the year.
"Further questions on the investigation should be directed to the Oldham County Police Department."
Her bond was originally set at $25,000, but she was eventually bailed out at $2,500. She is scheduled to appear in Oldham County District Court on June 27,and may serve up to four years in prison for the rape charge alone.
