She's been fired.
Teacher of Year fired after charges of sex with student
By Nita Birmingham
GOOSE CREEK — The Berkeley County School Board fired Westview Middle School's Teacher of the Year on Tuesday night after her arrest on charges that she had a sexual relationship with an underage student.
The decision by the school board to terminate Kanesa Hopkins came after an executive session meeting on Tuesday.
Hopkins is charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor in North Charleston and with two counts each of committing a lewd act upon a child under 16 and second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor in Goose Creek.
She is accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a girl between January 2003 and October 2004 when the minor was between 14 and 15, according to investigators' affidavits.
The 31-year-old was selected by her peers as Westview Middle School's 2007 Teacher of the Year. Hopkins was also the girl's Sunday school teacher, the affidavits said.
If convicted, Hopkins faces up to 15 years in prison on the charges of
committing a lewd act upon a child. The two charges of criminal sexual conduct with a minor carry a maximum punishment of 20 years.
A 2004 report by Charol Shakeshaft, a Hofstra University professor, found that more than 4.5 million students experience sexual misconduct by employees at their schools, from inappropriate jokes to forced sex.
Teachers were the most common perpetrators, with women accounting for 43 percent of the offenders, her report said.
Diane Knich and Jamie McGee contributed to this report.
Kanesa Hopkins is being held on $300,000 bail on five sex-related charges.
The decision by the school board to terminate Kanesa Hopkins came after an executive session meeting on Tuesday.
This sounds premature to me.
They had better have had their lawyers go through the union contract with a fine toothed comb before doing this.
She has been charged not convicted.
This is probably just the school board trying to look like they are doing something. (Oh my! The voters are angry! They are calling my house at dinner time!)
Who cares if it cost the school district hundreds of thousands of dollars when the teacher’s union sues and wins?
Duck! Incoming law suits!