14 DAY TRIAL // A 28-year-old teacher from California is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student, getting pregnant and having his baby.
According to the Daily Mail, the student was 16 years old when he entered the relationship, in the summer of 2012. Her child was born on June 18, less than two weeks before she was arrested.
It allegedly went on for a year, with the pair meeting at the Redlands apartment complex where the teacher was staying.
Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst was the young father's student advisor at Citrus Valley High School, where she is also a 10th-grade English teacher. She was charged on Monday and released after posting bail.
According to PE.com, Whitehurst comes from a family of teachers, with her father serving as assistant principal at Redlands Easy Valley High School.
"I believe that my job as an educator is to not only present you with knowledge of specific subject matter, but also to challenge, educate, and prepare you to be productive, caring, and responsible members of our society," she describes herself on the school website.
A second victim, who is now 22 years old, has come forward. He says that he was 16 years old when he was approached by his teacher, 22 at the time. They met in her English class at Redlands High School in 2007.
"I don't think I was taken advantage of. [...] Morally I feel like I shouldn't have done that, but at the time I was like, 'Woohoo, this is awesome,'" he says.
Officials at Citrus Valley High School are investigating the allegations and they have suspended the teacher.
"Nothing is as important to us as the safety of our students and the District takes this arrest very seriously. We are fully cooperating with police in their investigation of this matter," Assistant School Superintendent Sabine Robertson-Phillips states.