hot for teacher, again

The spotlight, both local and national, is about to shine on our beleaguered school district once more. This time the attention will center around a math teacher and basketball coach at Wharton High School who was arrested this morning and charged with lewd and lascivious battery. Jaymee Lane Wallace is charged with having a long-term sexual affair with a female student starting in 2003.

As a high school teacher, I cringe when educators are accused of a crime. If the accusations are false, this teacher’s professional reputation, not to mention personal, is still irreversibly damaged. However, it doesn’t look good. Police have been investigating the affair since June and certainly cannot be accused of rushing to judgment. We mustn’t expect similar restraint from the public.

Unwelcome attention no matter the verdict.