CHESTER, NJ — A Morris County middle school teacher who admitted to sexually harassing a student has been sentenced to prison.
Lorri A. Willis, 45, from Hackettstown, was a science teacher at Black River Middle School in Chester who had sent sexual messages to a 13-year-old student last year.
After pleading guilty to child endangerment charges in December 2025, Willis was sentenced to three years in state prison on Thursday, prosecutors told Patch.
When released, Willis will be subject to parole supervision for life, will be restricted from having any contact with the victim, and will be permanently banned from teaching in New Jersey.
The sentencing comes months after she agreed to relinquish her teaching certificates following her arrest.
Background
Willis was arrested on Oct. 20, 2025, after an investigation found that between June 2024 and October 2025, she sent several "sexual and suggestive" text messages to her 13-year-old student, police said.
She was initially charged with luring and endangering the welfare of a child, but the luring charge has been dropped, court documents show. She was ordered to pre-trial detention on Oct. 30 before her guilty plea in December.
Willis was employed as a science teacher at Black River Middle School in Chester. School officials announced that she was "released from all her duties” shortly after her arrest.
"The District was recently notified by law enforcement that a Black River Middle School staff member has been arrested," the Chester School District said in October 2025. "We take allegations of inappropriate conduct by a staff member very seriously. At this time, there is no indication that there is any current risk or threat to the District."
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