Amy McElhenney, Former Beauty Queen’s Sex With Student
Amy McElhenney, a 25-year-old, first-year teacher and former Bexar County beauty queen could be going to jail, charged with having an inappropriate relationship with one of her students. The second-degree felony is punishable by up to 20 years in prison after an 18-year-old student told police he had sex with the 25-year-old woman several times at her apartment in Austin Ranch.
Ms. McElhenney could not be reached for comment. The student’s identity was not released.
When the police investigation began, McElhenney was placed on paid administrative leave while the allegations were being checked out, said Lewisville ISD spokesperson Margaret Gurecky.
They say they were made aware of the relationship after a tip that the 25-year-old had suggestive text messages, on her cell phone, from a student. “Messages that were on there led us to believe there was a little bit more going on between the teacher and this student,” said Carrollton police Sgt. David Sponhour.
Proponents of the law have said it sends the message that even older teenagers should not be considered capable of consenting to sex with a teacher, especially since educators have power over their students. Others, however, have said that while the law’s intent may be good, it should contain different provisions for different ages and distinguish between students who do and don’t consent.
McElhenney told investigators she thought their relationship was inappropriate but denied having a physical or sexual relationship with the student, police said. However, the student told investigators in a written statement that he and McElhenney began a relationship in February and had sex several times at her apartment.
School administrators talked to McElhenney, who is also an assistant cross county coach at Hebron High School, in February about rumors of her relationship with the student.
“It appeared at the time that the rumors were unfounded and couldn’t be validated or confirmed, so no action was taken,” Gurecky said. Police documents also state that the student’s mother spoke to McElhenney in March about a possible relationship and the teacher denied the charges.
The school district informed the state board of education when the investigation began and again when McElhenney was arrested, Gurecky said.
Amy McElhenney was crowned Miss Bexar County 2002, and competed in the Miss Texas pageant. McElhenney is from North Texas and majored in education and Spanish while she was a student at the University of Texas at Austin. She was never a resident of Bexar County, but was eligible for the Miss Bexar County contests because she was a Texas resident and lived within 100 miles of San Antonio. In addition to teaching Spanish, she was a cross country coach at the school.
Ms. McElhenney was scheduled to teach a Spanish course at a summer camp program in Corsicana, where she was hired as a contract employee after being selected to teach the course for 7- to 12-year-olds by the Navarro Council of the Arts.
According to Texas law, McElhenney faces felony charges, even though the student is 18-years-old, because there is a ban on all sexual relationships between teachers and students. She has resigned from the school and is currently out on a $5,000 bond.
“In light of the information, we’ll either find another instructor or cancel the program,” said Connie Standridge, Corsicana’s city manager.
Update:
Denton County grand jury on Thursday declined to indict Amy McElhenney under a controversial Texas law that criminalizes sexual relationships between educators and students even if the sex is consensual and the student is of legal age.
“The state has a legitimate interest in providing a safe school environment for elementary and high school students,” assistant States Attorney Bruce Lockwood said. He added that prohibiting teachers from having sex with their students is part of this approach.
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on Jun 3 2006. Filed under Women Beauty, Women Diary, Women Gossip, Women Personality.
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