ROUND ROCK, Texas – A “Teacher of the Year” recipient in Williamson County, Texas has been charged with having an illegal sexual interaction with a student.
Randi Chaverria, 36, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of improper relationship between educator and student, according to court records, KVUE reported. The defendant posted bond on Tuesday of $25,000. No attorney of record is named.
The victim told police she performed oral sex on him twice on or around October 16, according to an affidavit obtained by KVUE. Text messages between Chaverria and the student backed up the claims, police said.
Officials with the Round Rock Independent School District said the defendant was already on leave as of November 18. This was a week before the allegation became public. Chaverria resigned on the 19th, the school district said. Officials said this relationship was reported to the human resources and the State Board for Educator Certification.
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Chaverria, a family science teacher, was named a teacher of the year for secondary schools in 2018, Law & Crime reported. She taught at Round Rock High School.
“The most important role of a teacher is to help shape future generations to become successful members of our community,” she said in a press statement at the time. “More than any curriculum I teach my students, I hope that they will walk away from my classroom thinking of ways that they can make a difference in their community and impact the lives of others for the better.”
New data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) shows there has been a rise in inappropriate relationships between teachers and students in recent years.
During the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year, TEA tracked 442 inappropriate relationships, compared to 429 the year prior and 302 relationships in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year.
Compare that number to 123 relationships TEA recorded between 2008 and 2009.
One explanation for the recent spike in relationships could be because of the “Pass the Trash” state law passed in 2017, which strengthened requirements for principals and superintendents to report inappropriate relationships.
