(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Since the start of 2022, at least 135 teachers and teachers’ aides have been arrested for child-sex related crimes, Fox News reported.
Looking at local stories week-by-week, Fox News Digital studied the frequencies of arrests on child sex-related crimes in school districts, ranging from child pornography to rape.
Arrests that were not publicized were not counted, so the number may even be higher.
The study found that at least 135 teachers and teachers’ aides have been arrested in 41 states between January 1 and May 13, which, on average, is about an arrest per day.
The majority of those arrested were men.
Many of the arrests were especially heinous allegations, such as the police in California charging Anthony James Phillips, 61, with aggravated sexual assault of a child, forcible penetration with a foreign object and forcible penetration with a foreign object upon a child.
Phillips was accused of raping a student in 2009 when he was still a teacher at Cupertino Middle School.
Anessa Paige Gower, a former biology teacher at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, California, was charged with 29 counts of child molestation.
Gower was accused of abusing seven different students between 2021-2022, with allegations including forible sodomy of minors and sharing sexually graphic photos over online platforms.
Erika Sanxi, director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, told Fox News that the epidemic of sex crimes in the school system needs to be thoroughly investigated by the federal government.
Citing the Department of Education‘s 2004 report, Sanzi said that nearly 9.6% of students are targets of sexual misconduct by educators.
“Educator sexual abuse is a major problem that largely gets ignored because it’s so uncomfortable to talk about,” Sanzi said in a statement.
“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,” 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.”
