HOUSTON, Texas — A biology teacher and cheer coach at a Houston-area high school is facing criminal charges after admitting to having a sexual relationship with a student.
24-year-old Ashley Elizabeth Zehnder approached the assistant principal at Pasadena High School and said she believed some students had obtained naked photos of her from her old cell phone.
The assistant principal was able to track down some students who had seen the photos but did not have copies. They referred school officials to a 17-year-old male, who did have a copy of the photos on his cell phone, KHOU reported. The assistant principal was shocked when the boy claimed he and Zehnder had been having sex in her apartment since May.
The school officially began an investigation into the matter on October 1. When Zehnder was asked about the “sexts” between her cell phone and the student’s, she reportedly admitted to the sexual relationship.
The biology teacher resigned from her position on October 9 . The school district reportedly released a statement on the matter that said, “These charges are very serious and this behavior will not be tolerated in Pasadena ISD. When an educator violates the trust of a student, it makes it difficult for the majority of teachers who genuinely care for the safety and well-being of students. We will continue to work together to provide a safe environment for our children to learn.”
NIck Socias, an assistant district attorney, told KHOU that the teen in question was “able to describe her room, her apartment, the layout of it, exactly where it was.”
He added that Zehnder “admitted to sending the nude photo to the student, knowing in fact that he was a student, and that they had sex…It’s not how these cases normally start. There’s a lot of questions on why she even brought it up to begin with.”
Zehnder appeared in court on Monday. Her bond was reportedly set at $10,000.
Follow Kristin of Twitter @KristinBTate.
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