Nicholas Federico, a 38-year-old high school football coach in Oregon, has been arrested after it was discovered he has an intimate relationship with an underage student, according to The Oregonian. Federico was with the school district for seven years and also served as a gym teacher.
The downfall of Federico began over the summer when a video reportedly surfaced on Instagram showing the teacher in an “intimate act” with a Woodburn High School teacher. Investigators also found illicit messages on Snapchat.
Federico was placed on administrative leave following his arrest.
According to the report, the 38-year-old is facing multiple counts of sex abuse, online sexual corruption of a child and official misconduct.
“On Monday, October 28 the Woodburn School District (WSD) was made aware that at 10:30 a.m. this morning, Nicholas Federico, PE teacher on the Woodburn High School Campus, was placed under arrest by Marion County Sheriff’s Office for alleged inappropriate conduct that took place with a former student. Mr. Federico was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation,” according to a statement from the school district.
“The District understands that the school community will experience a range of emotions and will provide available resources to support our students, staff and families. Marion County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting the investigation.”
Since the beginning of 2019 alone, a handful of teachers have been arrested on similar charges, including 25-year-old substitute teacher Alexis Mercedes Boberg in Baltimore, 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 teachers Meredith Null and Edna Longoria were arrested on similar charges.
As for why the number of these incidents has seemingly increased, 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.
