Holly Anne Smith, a 48-year-old former Hamburg Area High School English teacher in Reading, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to having an inappropriate relationship with an underage student.
Smith, who was originally arrested in October 2018, pleaded guilty to one count of institutional sexual assault in Berks County Court.
The 48-year-old former educator is due back in court for a sentencing hearing on Monday, July 8.
Following her October 2018 arrest, Smith resigned from her position as English teacher at Hamburg Area High School. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board will meet to determine whether or not Smith meets the criteria to be labeled a sexually violent predator.
Smith is just the latest in a string of education officials to be arrested and charged for sex-related crimes.
Since the beginning of 2019 alone, a handful of teachers have been arrested on similar charges, including Beulah High School teacher Kelsie Schmidt in North Dakota, Rancocas Valley Regional High School teacher Alexandra Reiner in New Jersey, and 50-year-old Florida substitute teacher Angela Jean Stanton in Florida. Additionally, Texas teacher Meredith Null was arrested on similar charges.
As for why there has been an increase in teacher’s being charged with sex-related crimes over recent years, studies suggest that smartphones are the primary reason for the spike in illicit relationships, as it allows teachers to communicate with the minors without supervision.
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.
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