Education

Private lessons: female sex-ed teacher charged with sex with 14-year-old student

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Prosecutors in Worcester County, Mass. say they have a wealth of evidence that will prove that a female sex education teacher in the town of Fitchburg had sex with a 14-year-old male student on a handful of occasions.

Though public details are scant, the indictment against Rachelle Gendron charges that she had sex with the boy in March 2013, in January 2013 and three times in October 2012, reports the Sentinel & Enterprise, a local newspaper. During that time, she was a teacher at North Central Charter Essential School.

The litany of charges against Gendron, 27, include enticement of a child under 16 years of age and five counts of rape aggravated by age difference. If she is found guilty, Gendron faces a state-mandated sentence of 10 years in prison.

According to CBS Boston, the evidence against the sex ed teacher includes texts and photos sent via text between the doomed lovers. Some of the photos allegedly show Gendron “in various states of undress.” In one instance, at least one her breasts is allegedly exposed.

Gendron was arraigned on Friday afternoon. She appeared in court in handcuffs and visibly in distress. Her attorney, Andrea Levy, was by her side.

After her court appearance, Gendron was crying when she completed the paperwork for her $2,000 bail, the Sentinel & Enterprise notes.

Levy denied the accusations against her client in a statement obtained by CBS Boston.

“My client Rachelle Gendron pleaded not guilty to the indictments. An indictment is merely an allegation and it’s the Commonwealth’s obligation to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Levy’s statement said. “She maintains her innocence and that’s why she entered the pleas of not guilty.”

North Central Charter Essential School has offered few details on Gendron and none on the unidentified student. However, the school did fire Gendron at some point before the arraignment.

“Upon first learning of those allegations, we took prompt and appropriate action consistent with the best interests of our students, which included swiftly terminating the individual and fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities,” the statement said.

Before she was sacked, Gendron had been a teacher at the charter school since 2008. She is an alumna of Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in English and studio art.

CBS Boston adds that she been living with her parents since graduating.

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