North Carolina and other states are facing shortages of teachers, including substitute teachers. Although parents want to believe school districts take proper steps to vet and select substitutes, the truth is that the process of becoming a substitute requires no more than a high school diploma, background check and completion of an online training course. Following the arrest of a substitute in Wake County on charges of taking indecent liberties with students, parents are now questioning whether school districts are doing enough to ensure the safety of their students. Meanwhile, the accused woman is likely considering her options for mounting a defense against the charges.
Incident and arrest
Police in Cary arrested a 20-year-old woman on two counts of taking indecent liberties with students. The alleged offenses supposedly occurred on or around Nov. 26. Understandably, the report did not offer any identifying information regarding the students, only to say that one was a student at Middle Creek High School and the other a student at Holly Springs High School. Reportedly, the incidents did not occur on a school campus.
The accused was a student herself at NC State, majoring in Mathematics Education. She was hired as a substitute when she was only 18, and parents have expressed disbelief that a woman so young was placed in the care of students only a year or two younger than herself. The woman is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 29.
Right to defense
The substitute was fired from her position and suspended from the Wake County Public School System. She may also face harsh penalties if convicted which may adversely affect her chances of ever teaching again. As such, she will want to work closely with an experienced criminal defense attorney in North Carolina to help devise the most effective strategy possible to fight the charges against her.