Why are there more cases of teachers sexually assaulting students? | Opinion
Things have changed a lot since I was in high school. I remember not even knowing any of my teachers' first names. It was usually Mr. (last name) or Mrs. (last name). We didn’t talk outside school hours.
Which makes the trend we're witnessing today all the more baffling. A recent FOX News study found that 349 public educators were arrested for child related sex crimes in 2022 alone.
There is no pinpointed reason for why we are seeing an increase in teacher-student relationships. Some experts say it comes down to access and lack of boundaries. Social media has made communication more accessible; simple chats over assignments can quickly become inappropriate.
Why do college students protest? They know truth about Israel's genocide in Gaza
Equally troubling is that sexual abuse is often not reported, and there is a lack of comprehensive data on instances of teacher sexual abuse toward students. For instance, a 20-year-old analysis by the U.S. Department of Education revealed that during their K-12 education, approximately one in 10 children experience some form of sexual misconduct from an educator. Data concerning this disturbing trend needs to be updated.
“I’m not an expert on the sex offender mind, but what I can say is that those who commit these crimes can come from all walks of life and genders,” said Ian Henderson, policy and systems director with the Madison-based Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
Gov. Tony Evers signed bipartisan law on sexual misconduct
In March, Gov. Tony Evers signed a bipartisan law that further criminalizes sexual misconduct by school staff members or volunteers against students. Sexual misconduct is defined as any verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Any educator who is convicted of this crime could face up to 3-1/2 years in prison, as well as have their teaching license revoked by the state's Department of Instruction.
"As a former educator, I'm thinking, how can we ever get to this point that we need a bill (for this)," Evers told the Journal Sentinel after signing the legislation.
Over the past several years there have been numerous cases where Wisconsin educators have been accused of sexual misconduct with a child. These cases involve male and female teachers of varying ages accused of inappropriate behavior. Here are just a few:
Kevin Buelow, 50, a former Catholic school teacher, was sentenced to 20 years in March for sexually assaulting students in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties. In January, a Milwaukee County jury found Buelow guilty of two counts of first-degree child sex assault, where the child was under the age of 13, in incidents at St. Matthias Parish School in Milwaukee from 2010 to 2012. He was convicted in January 2023 of inappropriately touching three students while he was a fourth-grade teacher at Holy Apostles in New Berlin between 2013-2018.
Jessica Kelbel, 29, a former special education teacher at The Richardson School in Madison, was charged in February for sexual assault of a student. Her relationship with the student allegedly went on for more than a year. She initially denied the allegations but admitted to having oral sex with the student in October 2023. She resigned in February. The victim’s mother contacted authorities, saying her son had a crush on the teacher and knew personal information about Kelbel and her children.
Anne Nelson-Koch, 75, was convicted on 25 separate counts, all relating to months of sexual abuse of a teenage boy. In November, a Monroe County judge sentenced her to 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of probation.
Christian Enwright, 29, a teacher at Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum West, was charged in May with 22 counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for allegedly grooming a student. According to a criminal complaint, Enwright had an "inappropriate relationship" with a 14-year-old female student. The girl told school officials the two were "friends" on Snapchat and TikTok since June 2023. When authorities searched her phone they found Enwright sent her inappropriate photos of himself. He was fired May 7.
Rebecca Kilps, 35, a former Two Rivers Spanish Teacher, was found guilty in a student sex assault case. Kilps was sentenced in January 2023 after she entered a “no contest” plea to charges of sexual assault of a student by school staff and sexual intercourse with a child 16 or older. In a plea agreement, two counts were changed to a misdemeanor, and the other felony charge was kept with a deferred judgment agreement. Kim's husband called the police on his wife after looking through her messages. He said the messages showed Kilps and the victim talking about having a future together and being in love, the complaint said.
It is worth noting that some of these teachers are married and have children. Inappropriate relationships between teachers and students have been a longstanding issue. However, the problem has received more attention in recent years, as pointed out by Henderson. He attributed this to increased media coverage, the #metoo movement, and increased interactions between teachers and students through text and social media.
Two egregious case of rape and misconduct stand out
While all of the cases I highlighted are disturbing, two stand out and illustrate the need for additional research and efforts to combat sexual abuse of students.
The first involves Rachel Goodle, a former Oak Creek High School teacher. Goodle was charged in July with second-degree sexual assault of a child and sexual assault of a student by school staff for an alleged incident on Dec. 2, 2022.
According to a criminal complaint, Goodle, an English teacher, was seen last December sitting together with a student at a school basketball game. The male student told authorities that he and Goodle had sex in the back of her classroom and that there had been “rumors for months about an inappropriate relationship between himself and Goodle.” If convicted, she faces up to 46 years in prison.
Goodle, 22, sued the district in July to block the release of her records.
When I was in high school, I didn’t have any 22-year-old teachers. Most of my teachers were in their 40s and 50s, and a few were close to retirement age. Due to this age difference, a clear sense of respect was established between the students and the teachers. I have spoken at schools where I didn’t know the teacher was the teacher based on their age and how they presented themselves.
The other case involved Tyesha Bolden, 35, a former teacher at a private school in Wauwatosa, who admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old male student and purchasing him a handgun for his 14th birthday.
Bolden, who taught eighth grade at Pilgrim Lutheran School in Wauwatosa, became the boy’s teacher in October 2022. Shortly after, she began texting him, and in early 2023, she started sending him provocative photos of herself. According to a criminal complaint, she even told him she loved him unconditionally.
Bolden allowed the boy to spend the night at her home several times, and the victim told investigators that he and Bolden had sex in a wooded area before summer break.
To add to all of that, the victim even convinced Bolden to give him money and got her to buy him a Glock 19 for his 14th birthday. It’s mind-boggling that a 35-year-old woman would even be attracted to a 13-year-old boy.
Not only did she rape this young man — yes, it's rape because he could not legally consent at 13 — but she bought him a gun, which he could have used to commit a robbery, shooting or homicide.
In March, she was sentenced to six years of confinement and seven years of extended supervision. She’s lucky because had he used that gun to hurt someone, that could have easily been on her.
These relationships can have devastating consequences
The first teacher-student sex case that I remember is when Washington state teacher Mary K. Letourneau admitted to having sex with then-12-year-old student Vili Fualaau in 1997. To call it a sensational story in the pre-social media era would be an understatement.
The Letourneau story was a case study of what would become a bigger problem. The middle-school teacher seemed like she had it all. She had stunning good looks. She was married and a mother of four. In June 1996, she was caught having sex in a minivan with her 12-year-old student.
Mother's Day apology: As a new mom, I realize I could have been better friend
By the time of her arrest, she was already pregnant by her 12-year-old victim. To compound matters, after she was released on probation, she was ordered to stay away from the victim, but weeks after her release, she was with him again. She gave birth to her second child behind bars.
The two got married in May 2005. They divorced in 2019. Letourneau, 58, died of colon cancer on July 6, 2020.
It's been 27 years since Letourneau became a household name but today, there are so many cases it's hard to keep up and experts are trying to determine why these cases continue. Some cite the unlimited access teachers and students have to one another.
When I was in school, as the bell rang at 2:45 p.m., marking an end to the school day, I didn’t see my teachers or have any contact with them until the next day. Today, teachers can communicate with their students via text, Facetime and social media.
This can open Pandora's box. Something can start innocent and turn into something criminal. Many criminal complaints show how these inappropriate relationships start innocently enough.
Bolden, the teacher who purchased a gun for a student, first began texting with her victim. Their conversations escalated to the point where she sent him suggestive photos of herself. He promised not to tell anyone when she told him to delete the images.
The situation went too far and resulted in Bolden losing her career and freedom over her inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old student.
While teachers who engage in such behaviors are punished, the long-term physical and mental damage inflicted upon the students they teach cannot be overlooked.
Henderson, from the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said that when a teacher crosses the line with a student, the effects on the child can be far-reaching. When a child is sexually assaulted by someone they trusted, it can leave them feeling confused and vulnerable.
“The long-term effects can have devastating consequences,” he said.
If a child tells you they have been sexually assaulted, Henderson says, "Believe them."
Then contact the police.
Reach James E. Causey at jcausey@jrn.com; follow him on X@jecausey.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cases of teacher student sex increase. We need more research on why
