A 28-year old Redlands, California English teacher has been arrested after police questioning confirmed that her baby–born in June–belongs to one of her students.
“One thing led to another, and he ended up at her residence, and it’s been going on for approximately one year now,” said Redlands police Cmdr. Shawn Ryan.
Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, who teaches at Citrus Valley High School, has allegedly been carrying on an affair with the student–who was 16 when they began seeing each other–for over a year. Officials say they don’t know what she told school administrators about her pregnancy, but they do know she didn’t try to hide it.
Whitehurst was arrested on Monday evening but was released after posting $25,000 bail that night. School officials say she has been placed on administrative leave until a full investigation is carried out, but released a statement regarding the news.
“The district takes this arrest very seriously,” the statement read. “Our heart goes out to the victim and his family.”
The arrest is just the latest in a string of teacher/student relationships that have come to light in recent years, and isn’t even the first to involve a child.