A former history teacher in Texas has pleaded guilty to having sex with a 15-year-old student after meeting with him at a local Chick-fil-A restaurant.
Michelle Schiffer, 23, who taught world history at Cypress Springs High School, pleaded guilty Monday to one charge of improper relationship with a student, the Houston Chronicle reports. Schiffer allegedly admitted to having sex with the male student twice in the summer of 2017 and smoking marijuana with him in her vehicle.
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“Michelle has taken responsibility for her actions and is very remorseful,” said Schiffer’s attorney, Grant Scheiner. “At sentencing Michelle plans to personally apologize to the complainant and his family, as well as everyone affected. It’s highly doubtful she will have any trouble with the law again.”
Court records allege that Schiffer and the then 15-year-old first met up at a Chick-fil-A restaurant and then went to a friend’s house where they had sex.
On their second encounter, Schiffer picked up the student at a park and then drove around the neighborhood smoking marijuana before she pulled over on a neighborhood street and had sex with the teen.
Authorities became aware of the improper relationship when an anonymous student went to the principal of Cypress Springs High School on Nov. 10. The student reportedly told school officials that the teen had admitted to having a sexual relationship with Schiffer.
Authorities then interviewed Schiffer and the 15-year-old student regarding the accusations and both allegedly admitted to it.
After learning of the accusations, the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District removed Schiffer from campus and placed her on administrative leave.
“We will continue to protect our students and not tolerate relationships of an inappropriate nature,” they said in a statement.
Schiffer was then later arrested, with a judge setting her bond at $30,000, though she later posted bond. The judge had also ordered the former teacher to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18.
Schiffer had also been charged with sexual assault of a child following her arrest in December, but that charge was alter dropped in her plea agreement. She now faces 20 years in prison and will be sentenced in August.
Schiffer’s case is following a similar path to the prosecution of Alexandria Vera, a former Aldine Independent School District middle school English teacher.
Vera, who began a sexual relationship with one of her 13-year-old students in 2015, confessed to having sex with the teen nearly every day while they were in a relationship and claimed that they were in love. She also alleged that the teenager’s parents were aware of the illegal relationship.
She was sentenced to a decade in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a minor.
