135 teachers accused of child sex crimes already this year. 102 cases involve students.

Fox News Digital analyzed local news and found that “135 teachers have been arrested so far this year on child sex-related crimes in the U.S., ranging from child pornography to raping students,” Jessica Chasmar reports. She added, “Arrests that weren’t publicized were not counted in the analysis, meaning the true number may well be higher”. The analysis included135 educators of which were 117 teachers, 11 teachers’ aides, and 7 substitute teachers.  

Anthony James Phillips, Sunnyvale, California, a 61-year-old former teacher at Cupertino Middle School was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, forcible penetration with a foreign object, and forcible penetration with a foreign object upon a child. Phillips is accused of raping a student in 2009 when he was still a teacher at Cupertino.

Anessa Paige Gower, Richmond, California, a 35-year-old former biology teacher at Making Waves Academy was charged with 29 counts of child molestation on April 8. Gower is accused of sexually abusing 7 students between 2021-2022 when she was a teacher at Making Waves, with allegations including forcible sodomy of minors and sharing sexually graphic photos over online platforms. She is due back in court on June 2.

William Landon Smith, Fayetteville, North Carolina, a 31-year-old former science teacher at Cape Fear High School was charged with 27 counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, 28 counts of indecent liberties with a student, and one count of secretly using or installing a photographic imaging device to arouse or gratify sexual desire on March 18. Smith is accused of inappropriately communicating with students via social media apps like Snapchat when he was a teacher at Cape Fear.

John M. Doty, South Bend in Indiana, a 35-year-old former biology teacher at Career Academy was charged with two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and six counts of child seduction on Feb. 9. Doty is accused of repeatedly raping a 16-year-old female student and threatening to kill her. He is scheduled to stand trial in January 2023.

Danielle Fischer, a 29-year-old former substitute teacher in the Roxana and Alton school districts, was charged with criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse on Feb. 4. Fischer is accused of sexually assaulting two teenage male students at her home in Edwardsville during summer break last year. A Madison County grand jury later added child pornography to the charges. 

Erika Sanzi, director of outreach for Parents Defending Education cited the Department of Education’s 2004 report, that claims that nearly 9.6% of students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career.

“The last federally commissioned study on the issue was in 2004, pre-smart phone and those who study the issue closely say that the problem has been exacerbated by the ease of communication that a smart phone provides,” Sanzi  warned. She continued. “We need to get much more honest about the problem, study it again and ensure that we have policies and laws in place that protect children. It is currently legal in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for teachers and other adults in positions of authority to have sexual relationships with students once they turn 14. After a 5-year effort, RI finally appears poised to change that this year.”

The original report is from Jessica Chasmar, Fox News Digital.

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