Indictments accuse former Valley teachers of having sex with students
Thirty-one-year-old Shannon Pavlansky-Wojtowicz was a teacher at Campbell Memorial High School from 2009 until she resigned this year.
She is accused of having sex with three different male students, one of them age 16, the other two, 17.
With the first minor, the conduct allegedly happened from September through October 2011.
With the second, from November 2013 until May 2014.
The third, from November 2014 through January 2015.
The prosecutor's office tells 21 News that Wojtowicz requested one of the minors to text her nude photos of himself.
She sent nude images of herself to all three of the minors.
31-year-old Amanda Basile is indicted on one count of sexual battery for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with an 18 year old student.
Ohio law says it is illegal for a teacher to engage in sex with any student, even if that student is 18.
She was a teacher at Warren Harding High School until she resigned this year. In 2010, she was a substitute teacher in the Austintown Local School District.
21 News sat down with a valley therapist Melissa Rein, who gave reasons as to why a teacher would cross the line and engage in inappropriate behavior with a student; Not once, but many times.
In some cases it could be more about having power over another person.
"It could be because of abuse in their past. Lost relationships, feelings of abandonment. Feeling this person wouldn't necessarily leave them,” said Rein.
Or it could be due to an uncontrolled attraction.
"And then having trouble distinguishing between this is right, this is wrong. This person is underage. And I think in a lot of cases when the person is 18 there is a real fine line and someone can get very confused there,” said Rein.
Rein explains the impact on the minor involved could be difficulty maintaining relationships in the future.
Wojtowicz will be arraigned Tuesday.