Posted 6/11/2006 02:32:00 PM by Douglas

Yet another example of a teacher gettin' jiggy with a student, but this time there's a bit of a hitch: the student is a legal adult.

The arrest of a high school teacher for allegedly having sex with an 18-year-old student has raised questions about the age constraints of the state's three-year-old law criminalizing student-teacher sexual relationships.

Amy McElhenney, 25, was arrested May 25 and charged with having an improper relationship with a student. The Spanish teacher and former Miss Texas contestant faces up to 20 years in prison.

At the very least, Miss Bexar County should lose her job for having no sense, but 20 years in prison?

State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, wrote the Texas law in 2003 that criminalizes sex between educators and students. But she said she wanted the law to apply only to students 17 and younger — uncomfortable with making sex between two legal, consenting adults a felony.

"I feel differently about 17-year-olds than I do about 18-year-olds," Giddings said. "I don't necessarily believe the penalty for the two should necessarily be the same."

Why? 17 years and 360 days old, she does 20 years. 18 years old and it's perfectly legal. It's a pretty silly line to draw, but that's what we've decided is decent, and a high school teacher should have known better.

But other legislators added amendments to Giddings' bill when it reached the floor of the House, making it illegal for educators to have sexual relationships with students of any age. Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, proposed dropping the age limit, arguing that teachers wield a power over students that diminishes the pupils' ability to consent.

"If they're a student, I just think they're off bounds regardless of their age," Chisum said. "I felt like if we didn't do that, we just virtually made it open season on students that are 18 years old."

Come on, Warren. What about college students? It's just as immoral for a college professor to bang their students for the very reason he mentions, but just because it's immoral doesn't mean it should be illegal. Should any teacher be reprimanded and/or fired for this type of action? Probably, but 20 years in the clink is a bit harsh when you're dealing with two consenting adults.