Middle School Teacher Accused of Adopting Teen to Have Sexual Relations With Him

A married New Jersey teacher has been accused of adopting a 15-year-old student so she could carry on a sexual relationship with him, police say.

Rayna Culver, 43, a teacher at Rivera Middle School in Trenton, New Jersey, was recently arrested and charged with second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

A police report states that the teen was a Rivera Middle School student where he “grew close” to teacher Culver, the Daily Mail reports.

The student was living with a relative but at some point in December of 2015 was thrown out of the home, and Culver swept in to give the boy a place to live. By June of 2016, the boy said, their relationship had turned sexual.

“After that first incident, they would engage in sex often, and it was to the point where he felt that if he told her to stop she would get mad and kick him out of the house,” a criminal complaint claims according to the South Jersey Times.

Investigators said the boy tried to put an end to the sexual relationship, but the teacher cajoled him into keeping it going. He told police that he and Culver had sex “nearly every day” for several months.

The victim eventually contacted police about the affair, and a sting was set up where officials reviewed texts and other electronic communication where Culver discussed their acts together.

“Throughout the course of the conversations, Culver and (the victim) get into in-depth conversations regarding sex, having sex and sexual acts,” the complaint says.

Officials raided Culver’s home and found a secret cellphone used to communicate with the boy as well as “potential bio fluid.”

The teacher’s attorney called the charges “fabricated” and said the boy was a “troubled young man.”

Culver has worked for the Trenton Public Schools since September of 2013, records show.

She was arrested on May 10 and released on condition that she avoids the victim and anyone under 18 years of age. The case is ongoing.

School officials have made no statement on the status of the teacher’s employment.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.