Houston Area Schools Seeing a Spike in Inappropriate Student-Teacher Relationships

HOUSTON, TX --Officials in the Katy Independent School District and the Tomball Independent
School District dismissed employees after claims of inappropriate relationships between students and school employees late last week.

On Friday, Tomball Memorial High School Principal Chad Smith sent a letter informing parents a school employee was fired from their position for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student.

“The information we gathered was turned over to law enforcement officials for further investigation due to the seriousness of this situation,” Smith said in his statement. “The employee was removed from the campus and is no longer employed with Tomball ISD. The district does not condone this kind of behavior and takes all allegations of this nature seriously for the safety of our school community.”

The district has not revealed the name of the former employee, what position they held at the school, or what their relationship was with the student.

At the same time, Katy ISD also dismissed an employee who officials alleged shot a video of a of a young girl, while she was changing in a girls changing room.

The employee, who was identified as 28-year old Clarence Appleby, was arrested and charged with a felony charge of improper photography, and released on a $30,000 bond.

He is due back in court Monday.

These allegation only the latest in a rash of inappropriate relationships between students and teachers.

In August, 36-year old Nicole Jakubiak was fired from her job as an elementary school in Cy-Fair ISD after she admitted to a co-worker she was having sex with an 18-year old foreign exchange student at Cy-Ranch High School, who was living in her home.

Officers had to explain to her that the relationship was illegal because the teen attended the same district in which she taught at Robison Elementary School.

She is expected back in court later this month.

In September Chance Gillett, 31, turned himself into police after allegations arose that he was reportedly having sex with two of his student, one who was only 14-years old.

Gillett, who was a choir instructor at Aldine Nimitz High School in Aldine ISD, reportedly had a year-long relationship with one of the girls.

The 14-year old girl alleged that they’d had sex several times, including his office on campus.

Gillett was employed with Aldine ISD for eight years, and the last two at Nimitz High School.

Gillett is due in court next month.

Alexandria Vera, 24, who also taught in Aldine ISD was a Stovall Middle School teacher when authorities said she began a sexual relationship with one of her students.

Vera, who is due in court Oct. 18, allegedly had a long term sexual relationship with one of her 13-year old students and became pregnant by the student.

Law enforcement authorities began looking for Vera in late May, and in June, she turned herself into the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Vera was released on a $100,000 bond, ordered to have no contact with the victim, to remain off the internet, and be equipped with a GPS tracking device, and could have no contact with other children or be in or near any schools.

Vera also had a court-ordered curfew between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., but on July 26, court records indicate she missed her curfew.

Prosecutors have not said if she will face additional charges.

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