Former Miss Texas Contestant Arrested

Amy McElhenney, 25, was arrested after allegedly having sex with an eighteen-year old student. Former Miss Texas Contestant McElhenney is a Spanish teacher and faces up to 20 years in prison.

So, the argument and tussle begins. Since the student was of legal age, should that matter in this case? What should McElhenney's punishment be?

If McElhenney had not been the 18-year old's teacher, then there'd be nothing illegal about the sexual acts. Both would be of legal age and they wouldn't have the teacher-student relationship from the classroom.

Some state that the law between teachers and students should only apply for those 17 and under. If they're 18 and legal, then there should be nothing illegal about any sexual relationship between the two.

I have a problem with relationships like this. A teacher is paid to teach their students. Students are there to learn. The teachers are not there for sexual after-school sessions. They're not there to teach students how to write and speak fluently in Spanish for an hour at a time, and then to engage in sex with one of them after classes are through.

Where does one draw the line? If the student had been at the same school as McElhenney, but was not an actual student of her's, would it then be allright? If they were at different schools all together, would it be allright? If they were at separate schools, then, most likely, yes, it'd be legal. If they were at the same school, but he was not an actual student of her's, then that's when we get into a gray area. But, where the line definitely needs to be drawn is if he's a student of her's, because that could distract them in the classroom and perhaps influence the grading process.

If she's found to be guilty, do I think McElhenney should go to jail for 20 years? No, not at all. But, I do think she should be fired, fined, receive some counseling, and receive probation. Along with that, she shouldn't be allowed to teach for a period of time, unless it's at an all-girls school. Then, that could work.

Link:

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060611131209990005&ncid=NWS00010000000001