Former middle school teacher, Alexandria Vera was charged with sexual abuse of a child and sentenced to 10 years in prison for having a long-term sexual relationship with a 13-year-old student who impregnated her.
Vera met the student in 2015 when was teaching English in the Aldine Independent School District in North Houston. According to the prosecutors of the case, the boy’s parents did not object to the relationship but rather were supportive and excited when the teacher told them she was pregnant.
Here’s how it all began.
Alexandria Vera met the student in 2015
Vera was an eighth-grade English teacher at Houston’s Stovall Middle School. According to court documents, she and the student met during summer school in 2015. According to her, it started when the student tried to communicate with her via Instagram.
She added that she later sent a message to the student after he didn’t come to class and they later exchanged numbers.
She also disclosed in the court documents that the student asked if the two of them could hang out and she agreed.
That same year, the teacher also claimed she went to the student’s home and he introduced her as his girlfriend to his parents.
The former teacher told the authorities that the first time she drove to the boy’s house to pick him up, they kissed in the car. However, the second time, his parents were not home so they had sex.
Purportedly, the student’s parents did not only approve of the relationship but also allowed him to spend the night at Vera’s home. She added that she was often invited to family gatherings.
When Vera became pregnant in January 2016, she claimed the boy’s parents were excited and supportive. Regardless of that, she went ahead to have an abortion after Child Protective Services showed up at the school to question her and the student.
At first, she denied the relationship so an officer did a forensic examination of Vera’s phone. Many messages between her and the student were found.
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Vera turned herself in
After the initial investigation, Vera turned herself in to the Montgomery County Police. She was charged with continuous assault of a child, and her bail was set at $100,000 and was subsequently placed on administrative leave from Stovall Middle School.
In November 2016, she pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child which has a maximum sentence of life in prison. Under the plea deal, her possible punishment was capped at 30 years, and she would be eligible for deferred adjudication probation.
The State District Judge Michael McSpadden revealed the student and his mother wrote him letters that tried to put some of the blame on the boy.
Also, therapist Karen Lawson testified for Vera stating that the teacher was ‘driven by being in love’ with the boy and since she had seen domestic violence while growing up, she had a deep need for love. Lawson profiled Vera to outline her mental state.
Contrary to that, a Harris County prosecutor, Denise Nichols stated that Vera had a history of straight-out deception. He also argued that by moving the boy and his father into her home, Vera wanted people to think the boy’s father was her boyfriend.
Nichols also added that the pattern of manipulation was to groom the child and his family so she could continue the illicit relationship. According to reports, Vera paid cell phone bills and bought groceries for the family.
During the court hearing, the prosecutor also revealed that her inappropriate behaviour extended to other students. She allegedly allowed two eighth graders to sleep with each other at her home.
The prosecutor also mentioned that Vera’s then-6-year-old knew about the relationship and even called the student ‘dad’ at some point.
In January 2017, Vera was sentenced to 10 years in prison although the judge did not believe she was a danger to other children since she is not yet considered a pedophile. She will be eligible for parole five years from that time.
According to the Texas Education Agency, the rise in inappropriate student-teacher relationships has been alarming. From 2009 to 2010, it rose from 141 to 179, and from 2014 to 2015, it was up to 188.
