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BOUNTIFUL - The Davis School District has no plans to change its policies even though a junior high school has lost two teachers in a sex scandal.
Valynne Bowers, 39, and Linda Nef, 46, were arrested earlier this month for having sex with one of their students.
Authorities say the teachers first started exchanging text messages and phone calls with the 13-year-old student. It grew erotic and led to sex. But the Davis School District says it will not ban text messaging between teachers and students.
Carol Lear at the State Office of Education has said maybe these policies should be looked at again.
"There is something more intimate about texting than there is about phone calls and certainly than e-mail," she said.
"It likely is not appropriate for teachers and students to text each other, especially on a regular basis," she added.
Lear is over teacher licensing. She says the two Bountiful Junior High teachers had no criminal backgrounds, and a lot of accused teachers have no history with these issues.
Authorities say other cases of teacher misconduct may have started with personal phone calls, texts and e-mails.
"These younger people that I'm talking to who are student teaching or about to student teach, are saying 'I would never want a student to text me. First of all, I wouldn't want them to know my phone number. I also just think that's something you reserve; it's very casual. You reserve it for a close friend,'" Lear said.
But a Davis School District spokesman says sometimes teachers have to text students for various reasons, and it's a matter of common sense.
Bowers and Nef have both have been charged with rape and forcible sodomy.
There isn't a rule that specifically bans a teacher from texting a student, but the Utah State Office of Education has rules on teacher/student interactions.
The rules include:
- Teachers shall not make inappropriate contact in any communication-written, verbal, or electronic-with minor, student, or colleague, regardless of age or location.
- Teachers shall not solicit, encourage or consummate an inappropriate relationship, written, verbal, or physical, with a student or minor.
- Teachers shall not participate in sexual, physical, or emotional harassment or any combination toward any public school-age student or colleague, nor knowingly allow harassment toward students or colleagues.
- Teachers shall not accept or give gifts to students that would suggest or further an inappropriate relationship.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
