A
special education teacher in Philadelphia has been accused of having a sex at least ten times
with a 14-year-old student.
Stephanie
Amato, a teacher at Ethan Allen School, handed herself in to authorities at the Special
Victims Unit on Wednesday night. The
30-year-old has been charged with offenses including involuntary deviate sexual
intercourse, statutory sexual assault and corruption of a minor.
'Fun with these kids!': Stephanie Amato, a
special education teacher at Ethan Allen Elementary, Philadelphia,
has been charged with offenses including statutory sexual assault and
corruption of a minor
According
to the District Attorney’s office, Amato had been engaged in a sexual relationship
with the boy during March and April of this year. The
alleged encounters happened in her car and at her home. The two were allegedly
sending explicit text messages and Amato told him not to tell. Tasha
Jamerson, spokeswoman for District Attorney Seth Williams, called the sex
‘consensual," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.When
the boy's father discovered the relationship, he pulled his son from the school
Amato, 30, has been charged with offenses
including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault and
corruption of a minor
The
child's father, who we are not identifying, spoke exclusively to Action News. 'I was
very upset. She took my kid's youth and I really want justice to take care of
this woman,' he told WPVI. 'He's not doing too well, he doesn't want to
go to school. He feels humiliated, since that happened he changed.'
The
allegations against Amato were first made in April, said Philadelphia School
District
spokesman Fernando Gallard. School
officials then notified city and school police, and the teacher was removed her
from the classroom pending an investigation.
Amato,
who has been a teacher for six years, was also barred from having contact with
her students. On
Tuesday she posted several photos on Facebook of her posing with some of her
students. One picture is captioned ‘My fav students!!’
'My fav students!!' On Tuesday Amato posted
several photos on Facebook of her posing with some of her students
In
another photo - captioned ‘Fun with these kids!’ - Amato is sitting in a car
surrounded by four young men. An
unnamed source at the school told the Inquirer that Amato would often spend
time out of school with groups of her students. She is
currently suspended with pay, but after an administrative hearing next week she
could lose her pay.
Parents
were only informed of Amato's arrest through a letter sent home this week.
Principal
Cassandra Houston said that the district is 'working closely with the
Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victims Unit to ensure that a thorough
investigation is conducted.' Amato
was released early on Thursday after posting 10 percent of bail set at
$125,000, according to court records.