Deanna Higgins Charged with Sexual Assault; Second Spring High School Teacher Under Investigation

Deanna Higgins, a 27-year-old science teacher at Spring High School in Texas, was charged Monday with improper relations between an educator and student and sexual assault of a child. On Tuesday, there was a warrant out for her arrest but, according to KHOU television in Houston, Deanna Higgins was still not in police custody. The warrant was issued after an extensive investigation into allegations that Deanna Higgins was having an inappropriate relationship with a student. A letter sent home with Spring High School students on Tuesday acknowledged the investigation, which began in January. Higgins had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation's outcome.

The letter, printed in its entirety on Inquisitr.com, from the Spring High School administration and the Spring ISD Police also acknowledged that there was a second Spring High School teacher under investigation as well. The letter assured parents that Spring High School acted immediately upon hearing the allegations from a third party and reminded parents to talk with their children about being threatened or involved in inappropriate behavior and the importance of reporting such activities to the proper officials.

Deanna Higgins was hired to teach science at Spring High School in January 2008. She is the mother of three children.

One student told KHOU that they were not surprised about the allegations, stating that Deanna Higgins was always "very open, so it just seemed like she would do something like that."

"Doing something like that" has become a matter of public concern. Deanna Higgins has joined a long line of teachers that have been charged with sexual misconduct or inappropriate relations with students they were hired to mentor and teach.

Pennsylvania math teacher Heather Zeo, a 36-year-old mother of three, was arrested in May for allegedly having sex with one of her students at North Penn High School. She was also accused of sending explicit pictures of herself to the same student, plus a second student. Prosecutors said she engaged in a "calculated seduction." According to Bad Bad Teacher, she pleaded not guilty in late September of misdemeanor charges of tampering with evidence, corruption of a minor and obstruction of justice in addition to the corruption of a minor and endangering the welfare of children charges she already faced. She awaits trial.

Back in March, two teachers at Bountiful Junior High School in Utah were charged with the rape of the same 13-year-old student. Linda Nef and Valynne Bowers were both arrested by Bountiful Police, Nef having implicated Bowers while confessing to her own involvement with the student. It is believed that the inappropriate behavior began when the student was 11 years old. Linda Nef was sentenced to 3 years to life in July. At a preliminary hearing in late September, Valynne Bowers was ordered to stand trial for rape and forcible sodomy.

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Sources:

BadBadTeacher.com
KHOU.com
Inquisitr.com