WOMAN ACCUSED OF SEX WITH TEEN 'BLAMES SCHOOL'
'These people all knew what was going on'
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image: http://www.wnd.com/files/2016/07/mary-beth-haglin-teacher-sex-kcrg-600.jpg
Mary Beth Haglin
An Iowa teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male student and then being allowed to teach at other schools is now placing blame on education officials for “turning a blind eye” and “allowing this to happen” by not calling police.
Mary Beth Haglin, 24, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was a substitute teacher at Washington High School, where the alleged sexcapades took place in February. She says she initially had sex with the teen in October 2015, and had frequent sexual relations through the school year.
She was arrested Friday, and faces a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor, punishable by up to two years in prison and a decade on the sex-offender registry. Haglin was released from Linn County Jail Saturday and ordered to have no contact with the student.
Read the WND story that started it all! The big list: Female teachers with students
In interviews with local news media, Haglin says she was assigned to other schools in the region months after authorities found out she was accused of the sexual relationship.
“These people all knew what was going on, but they turned a blind eye because they wanted to protect their school and didn’t want it to get into the limelight,” Haglin told CBS affiliate KGAN-TV.
“They allowed this to happen. They knew in February.”
KGAN reviewed employment records, and after Haglin was released from Washington High in mid-May, she was re-assigned to work at Harrison Elementary, Oak Ridge and Prairie Creek intermediate at the end of May.
The district cited a miscommunication in the Grant Wood AEA substitute placement system, but Haglin believes it was an intentional cover-up.
“From April 17 to May 17, they knew and certainly probably longer than that, probably since February when they first questioned me,” Haglin told the station.
image: http://www.wnd.com/files/2016/07/Mary-Beth-Haglin-teacher-documents-kgan-600.jpg
Documents in the case of Mary Beth Haglin (courtesy KGAN-TV)
“They didn’t ban me,” she told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “They never actually said they were banning me from school grounds, they never said they were banning me from working at any other school, they never said they were banning me from thus-and-so many feet of any school. They never said any of that.”
Marcia Hughes, community-relations supervisor for Cedar Rapids Community School District, released a statement about the case:
The District does not relay any allegations to the substitute placement system because the District is required by law to keep information of that nature confidential. If there are concerns about a substitute teacher, the District notifies the substitute placement system that the substitute teacher should be removed from the system. Typically, when a substitute teacher is removed from the substitute placement system, notification of the removal is provided by the attendance center to the substitute placement system.In this case, the substitute placement system was notified by the attendance center on May 18. However, follow-up did not occur to confirm that the substitute was removed from the system entirely. This confirmation would come from the District Department of Human Resources. The District currently is taking steps to improve the District’s Human Resources forms and communication processes to address this so that this will not occur in the future.
Haglin told KCRG-TV that prior abusive relationships left her vulnerable to this kind of inappropriate relationship with the teen, but admitted it was primarily her fault.
“I do take responsibility. I’m not shying away from this. I’m facing this head on,” Haglin said.
The case is already getting attention on social media.
Gretchen Gardner-Nehl noted on Facebook: “The fact remains that teachers are there to teach subjects to our children such as math, science, writing etc they are not there to further their dating pool.”
A preliminary court hearing is set for Aug. 12, and a formal arraignment on Sept. 1.
Follow Joe Kovacs on Twitter @JoeKovacsNews
Copyright 2016 WND
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