Last month, a 32-year-old English teacher at Parsippany Hills High School was arrested for allegedly carrying on a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student.

Jenna Leahey, who also serves as the coach of the Parsippany High School field hockey team, allegedly began exchanging sexually explicit text messages with the student in late January. According to Morris County prosecutors, Ms. Leahey later sent lewd pictures of herself to the student. Eventually, according to the authorities, Ms. Leahey and the teenage student engaged in sex acts.

The criminal conduct was discovered when the student told another staff member at the school.

Ms. Leahey has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact. On the lesser charge of criminal sexual contact, Ms. Leahey faces up to 18 months in New Jersey State Prison. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3b, a person is guilty of criminal sexual contact if she commits an act of sexual contact with a victim who is between the ages of 16 and 18 and the actor has supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim.

Ms. Leahey was being held at the Morris County Jail in lieu of $100,000.00 bail.

For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Morris County Teacher Accused of Sexual Relationship with 16-Year-Old Student.“