Education

Teacher walks away scot-free after flurry of 690 sizzling texts with underage student

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Just so you know, America: you will face exactly zero criminal charges if you are a high school teacher who sends some 350 text messages to an underage student in a nine-day period saying things like “You already know I’ll smack your ass,” “Damn this feels like you really are mine” and “Night baby doll.”

That’s the law in Kentucky, anyway, where former Holmes High School teacher and marching band director Jared Murray is walking scot-free after exchanging a total flurry of nearly 700 messages with an unidentified 15-year-old female, reports local Fox affiliate WXIX.

Faced with the prospect of a hasty sacking over the texts, Murray resigned in late September from Holmes High in the Cincinnati suburb of Covington, Ky.

The racy texting occurred in late August and early September—bright and early in the morning, during class at school and late into the evening, according to The River City News.

County prosecutor Rob Sanders said he could find no crime on the books with which to charge Murray.

“Those text messages are extremely suspicious, alarming, inappropriate, but not illegal,” Sanders told WXIX.

He said the state’s investigation is now closed.

Other text messages Murray sent the female student include “We need some us time” and “These are the days I want to take you home and give you the love you deserve.”

On one occasion, the band director texted, “I think we’ve done a pretty good job not telling this week.” The girl responded by texting, “Why would we have to hide it, It’s perfectly normal.”

There was also discussion of the young girl moving into his house.

Shana Donskey, the girl’s mother, discovered the texts and initiated twin investigations by the school district and the police in Covington.

“I thought he was a really great guy,” Donskey told The River City News. “I don’t want to see anything bad happen to him but this was alarming and I had to have it investigated.”

After she reported the texts, Donskey said, she removed her daughter from public school because other students threatened the girl.

“Our house has been egged twice,” she added.

Donskey also said that Murray’s attorney had threatened to sue her, her daughter and the school district for defamation.

Murray has staunchly and persistently defended his actions.

“There was an entire conversation that took place in that conversation not shown,” the former teacher told local CBS affiliate WKRC.

He said his goal was to be father figure for the 15-year-old girl and for other students.

“They want to get away for a few days they can come stay with my wife and I,” he told the CBS station. “And that way they can just get away from whatever they need to get away from, sit, chill out.”

Murray also said he wants to teach again. He reflected that the texting incident will help him communicate with students in different ways in the future.

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