Ex-Parsippany Teacher Accused of Teen Sex Assault Has 1 Month to Mull Plea Deal

As students in Parsippany head back to the classroom this week and look forward to a promising year, a former district school teacher has until the end of the month to decide if she’ll take a plea deal or stand trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a student.

According to dailyrecord.com, Jenna Leahey, formerly of Morristown and now of Flanders, appeared in court Wednesday will have one more pre-trial conference, on Sept. 30, before a trial date is set if she does not take a plea deal.

Leahey is charged with official misconduct and sexual assault stemming from an alleged months-long relationship she had with a male student, who was 16 at the time.

The alleged relationship took place in 2013, when Leahey was counseling the student after a family member of his died. The relationship allegedly began with explicit text messages, which then lead to a relationship that was physical in nature, according to authorities.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has offered Leahey an offer of five years in prison with no parole eligibility. She would also be subject to parole supervision for life after her release, the report said, and would need to register as a convicted sex offender under Megan’s Law.