Erica DePalo, former 'Teacher of the Year,' accused of having sex with 15-year-old student

NBCNews ^ | 9/4/2012 | James Eng

[South40]

A woman who was named Essex County, N.J.’s “Teacher of the Year” in 2011 has been suspended from her job after being accused of having sex with a 15-year-old student.

US West Orange High School teacher Erica DePalo, 33, of Montclair, was charged Friday with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

[kearnyirish2]

“Why would an adult ever, EVER, even think of a child in a sexual manner?”

So they can avoid adult relationships while playing adult; a more compliant toy for them...

[South40]

I expects adults to have good judgement, self-control and patience. It is not too much to ask.

No it's not. But things like this happen all too often.

[I see my hands]

She's not a teacher, she is a government unionist.

[Windflier]

Thank God we took our eldest out of public school after his first semester of kindergarten. We started home schooling then (ten years ago), and have never looked back.

The frequency of these stories of teachers having sex with their students convinces me that one of my four kids would have probably encountered this, if we hadn’t.

This is a national disgrace, and is worthy of a congressional investigation, in my opinion.

[DesertRhino]

Cute little smirk. And bet shes a dish when shes cleaned up. NOT GUILTY.

[a fool in paradise]

Threats on life and limb are still coerced sex (RAPE).

[a fool in paradise]

How many of these are repeat offenders who only get caught/prosecuted once?

[goron]

It’s all Chris Christie’s fault.

[Windflier]

Why would an adult ever, EVER, even think of a child in a sexual manner?

We know that there's a certain small element of any population that is going to have that particular mental aberration, but the frequency of such incidents among public school teachers is far above the statistical average for any narrowly defined group, in my opinion.

I think it's high time that Congress began looking into this. The public schools have become virtual sexual predator zones.

[matthew fuller]

Guilty!

[GeronL]

Abolish public schools and the Dept of Ed, let the parents run them.

[South40]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTzLVIc-O5E

[tupac]

NOT GUILTY!!

[haroldeveryman]

Teacher of the Year? She must be pretty good. Not Guilty!

[JaguarXKE]

ROTFLMAO!!

[Windflier]

Abolish public schools and the Dept of Ed, let the parents run them.

It's impractical to simply abolish the public schools all at once. It'll take a weaning off process to accomplish a complete disconnection of the government from primary education. I think it could be done, but that's a bigger conversation.

[cynwoody]

Here is the defendant interviewed last September (video at link).

Gentlmen of the jury, how say ye?

[South40]

I’d have to see more evidence.

[oldbrowser]

“aggravated sexual assault”, is that like “legitimate rape”?

Whoopi says that is not "rape,rape".

[oldbrowser]

“aggravated sexual assault”, is that like “legitimate rape”?

Whoopi says that is not "rape,rape".