Why A CA Teacher Who Had Sex With Student Is Not A 'Sex Offender'

BEAUMONT, CA — A former Beaumont High School teacher who pleaded guilty to having sex with a student avoided jail. She is not required to register as a sex offender. What’s more, 32-year-old Samantha Ciotta may one day be eligible re-apply for her teaching credentials in California, under the terms of a plea deal she reached with prosecutors.

“How did this happen?” the boy’s grandmother asked Patch Tuesday.

On Thursday, the mother of two pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful intercourse with a minor — charges that could carry up to four years and four months in prison. The specific charge she pleaded to, commonly referred to as statutory rape, does not mandate that the violator is added to the sex offender registry.

“Through negotiations, [the DA’s Office] agreed that based on the facts of the case that she shouldn't have to register as a sex offender,” Ciotta’s attorney Philip Greenberg said.

As a part of her deal, Ciotta must wear an ankle monitor for 180 days and serve four years probation, according to Greenberg. She can leave her home during the day, but must return at a certain time.

She needs to also complete 90 hours of community service and may "have no contact with any unrelated minors via any form of social media," the DA's office said.

Ciotta was charged after a Snapchat video surfaced showing the former Beaumont High English teacher partying with minor students wearing a t-shirt and “panties,” according to documents obtained by Patch. When police arrested Ciotta, they said they believed there were more possible victims. Documents alleged that a different student boasted to his friends: "Yes … Bro, I'm gettin' in deep … been f------ (Ciotta) and getting threesomes for the past couple weeks (at her house).”

Police served multiple search warrants in connection to the case to collect evidence, including collecting DNA samples from the woman’s home and SUV where she allegedly had sex with the boy, according to a declaration in support of a search warrant.

In an interview with authorities, the boy said he “recieved oral sex from her several times,” the document states. Ciotta faced one count of oral copulation with a minor, a charge that was dropped as part of the plea agreement.

“This was the appropriate plea agreement to the charges we believe we would be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury,” John Hall, a spokesman with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, told Patch.

If the oral copulation charge had not been dropped — and Ciotta pleaded guilty or was convicted of it — she would have then been required to register as a sex offender, as that is a “registerable offense” in California, according to Hall.

The boy’s grandmother was furious with the outcome of the case that has plagued her since she first started noticing issues when the boy was in Ciotta’s care his freshman year.

"I don't understand; they know she slept with him more than that,” the woman, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid identifying her grandson, said. "They didn't just sneak away three times or five times."

The grandmother, who had been the boy's legal guardian but recently relinquished her legal guardianship after months of personal and legal issues with him, said she reached out to school officials and police repeatedly for help with the boy, who was described as a "disruptive" student and an "incorrigible juvenile” in documents obtained by Patch.

“I went to them for over a year,” she said. “They allowed him to do everything, the school did. … Once the detectives got ahold of [the case], it took them months to arrest her and they pushed me out of the way."

The boy, now a 17-year-old high school junior, has filed a civil lawsuit against the school district, former Principal Christina Pierce and current Vice Principal Ian Young. The suit states the defendants ignored “numerous red flags” related to the illicit sexual relationship between the student and teacher.

"The basis of the lawsuit is to hold the school district responsible for their role in failing to protect this kid,” the boy’s attorney Roger Booth said.

Ciotta is not named as a defendant in that case.

After receiving months of paid leave, followed by months of unpaid leave, Ciotta’s employment with Beaumont Unified School District ended April 4, district officials tell Patch. Her state teaching credentials were revoked, California Commission on Teaching Credentialing spokesman Joshua Speaks said.

Ciotta can reapply for her credentials to teach children again in the future, Speaks said. A teacher whose credentials have been revoked has a “legal right” to re-apply for them as long as the person doesn’t have “disqualifying factors” such as being a registered sex offender.

Speaks said that in this case, the “burden of proof” would shift to the felon applicant, though. Ciotta would have to prove that she was “rehabilitated.”

“With sexual misconduct, there's not a sort of clear cut pathway like there is with [alcohol or drug] addiction issues,” he said. “We cannot deny them their legal right to a hearing, but they would certainly face a high degree of scrutiny.”

That is something the DA’s office said they took into account.

“Another consideration [for the plea deal] was that her now being a convicted felon, with three felony counts, should make it very difficult for her to ever teach again,” Hall said.

Ciotta said she is looking forward to moving on, telling Patch last week that she is praying for everyone involved in the case.

“I will take what has happened and use the experiences and lessons learned to give back to the community,” she said.

She did not apologize.

ALSO ON PATCH:

• Partying In 'Panties': Snapchat Video of Beaumont High Teacher With Students Led To Arrest: PATCH EXCLUSIVE
• Teacher Who Had Sex With Student Cuts Deal To Avoid Jail
• Samantha Ciotta, Accused Beaumont High Teacher, Makes Appearance
• Beaumont High Student Breaks Silence, Admits Sex With Teacher
• Beaumont Teacher Accused Of Sexual Relationship With Student Posts Bail
• Beaumont Sex Scandal: Teacher Arrested For Alleged Relations With Student, Police Say

— Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone shows Samantha Ciotta in a Banning courtroom in December as she entered her initial "not guilty" plea.