Natasha Patronsky, a 24-year-old Spanish teacher at Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama, has been charged with engaging in a sexual act with a student under the age of 19.
According to reports from the Montgomery Police Department, Patronsky — who was a first-year teacher at the school — voluntarily turned herself into the police department on Wednesday, November 28.
Capt. Regina Duckett said in a news release that a sexual assault investigation into Patronsky was opened on Friday, November 16. Police say they believe that the alleged incident happened on Thursday, November 8.
After she turned herself in, Patronsky was transferred to the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where she is being held under a $7,500 bond.
via Montgomery Advertiser:
Patronsky resigned on Nov. 20. One week later, on Tuesday, Nov. 27, Salter said he and Superintendent Ann Roy Moore were unaware of any incident or investigation and would not provide any information regarding employees on administrative leave.
“We have not received any report concerning this event. If there is an investigation and we are contacted, we will certainly cooperate fully,” Salter wrote.
The same day, Lanier Principal Antonio Williams said he was aware of the investigation. After the arrest Wednesday, MPS released a statement from Moore.
“We are shocked to hear of this allegation,” Moore said in the release. “We support law enforcement in their work to get to the truth in this matter. Any person found guilty of putting a child’s safety at risk, should be punished to the full extent of the law.”
If found guilty, Patronsky faces no less than two years and no more than 20 years in prison.
As for why there has been such a significant increase in instances of teachers having sexual relationships with students, researchers believe that technology is to blame.
According to a report from the Texas Education Association, smartphones make easy for teachers to privately text and talk with students and also make it possible for teachers and students to share explicit images.
SESAME (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse Misconduct & Exploitation) President Terri Miller echoed that sentiment, stating “before cell phones, we knew who our kids were talking to” but today, “kids have their own phones, they’re taking them to bed, and parents need to watch more.”
Altice has been one of many teachers to be charged for inappropriate conduct. Over the course of just a few months, educators across the country were arrested for entering into an inappropriate relationship with their students, Tennessee teacher Janet Smothers, LaToya Parker, Florida teacher Caroline Lawson, 26-year-old Allyson Moran and Katherine Ross Ridenhour were all arrested on similar charges. A woman named Kayla Sprinkles was arrested in North Carolina for similar sexual crimes.
Altice has been one of many teachers to be charged for inappropriate conduct. Over the course of just a few months, teachers across the United States have been charged, tried, and convicted of various abuse and sex crimes.
The list goes on to include 22-year-old Oklahoma science teacher Hunter Day, 28-year-old teacher Megan Kotarski, 23-year-old history teacher Michelle Schiffer, 29-year-old Alyssia Marie Reddy, special education teacher Jordan Ondish and 28-year-old Samantha Fitzpatrick have all been allegedly carrying on inappropriate relationships with their students.
Most recently, teachers such as 29-year-old Haylie Smart, 25-year-old Alaina Ferguson, 26-year-old Amy Nowaczyk, and 32-year-old Laura Bucy were arrested and charged for similar crimes.
