Just three days after Oklahoma City Public Schools students headed back to school, one of the district's former teacher was charged in Oklahoma County District Court with sex crimes involving students.
Callie Elise Miller, 25, was a first-year English teacher at Capitol Hill High School last year. She made it only a semester before allegations of sexual relationships with students led to her suspension.
A principal notified Oklahoma City police after discovering that sexually explicit images of the teacher were circulating among students throughout the school. Miller was placed on administrative leave and asked not to return to the district for the current school year.
During an investigation, two students, aged 17 and 18, admitted to having sex with the teacher. One said that Miller gave him her phone number after the two discussed mechanical issues with her car. He said the two began exchanging texts, which became sexual in nature and ultimately led to the couple having sex.
The other said his teacher contacted him through Facebook, where the two exchanged phone numbers and arranged a sexual liaison at a local park.
A warrant was issued for Miller's arrest on August 8, alleging two counts of second degree rape and one count of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor.
Miller appeared in court on Monday, where bond was set at $75,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 11.
Second degree rape is a felony sex crime that is punishable by one to 15 years in prison. It is classified as a Level 3 sex offense, which requires lifetime sex offender registration in Oklahoma.
Teachers must always be aware that sex with students is not just unethical or unprofessional--it is illegal. The consequences of engaging in a sexual relationship with a student are far too damaging to risk, even if the student has achieved the age of consent and even if he or she is an instigator in the relationship.
Remember, the two young men who say they had sex with their teacher are aged 17 and 18--past the age of consent in Oklahoma, which is 16. In fact, an 18-year-old is considered an adult in most aspects of the law. However, according to 21 O.S. § 1111, no student under the age of 20 can legally consent to sex with any employee aged 18 or older of the same district the student attends. It does not matter if the student is not in the class or under the authority of the teacher, it does not even matter if the teacher works at an entirely different school in the district. In fact, according to the letter of the law, an 18-year-old school custodian could be charged with second degree rape after engaging in a sexual relationship with a 19-year-old student.
Currently, an Oklahoma City attorney is challenging the law, saying that prohibiting sex between consenting adults (for example, a teacher and an 18-year-old student) is a violation of personal privacy rights, and that if a student is not under the supervision or authority of a particular teacher, that relationship should not be illegal if the student has reached the age of consent.
In the meantime, however, teachers need to remain aware that sex with students--even willing students--is strictly against the law, and the penalties of ignoring that fact can last a lifetime.
