Student teacher charged with sexual relations with teen students

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Thursday, April 2, 2015
Teacher charged
A teacher faces charges for having a sexual relationship with a student

EUREKA, Kan. -- An elementary school student teacher has been arrested after police say she had inappropriate relations with minors, including messages sent over Snapchat.

Kourtnie A. Sanchez, a 25-year-old student teacher, is charged with unlawful sexual relations, promoting obscenity to a minor and solicitation of unlawful sexual relations with students ages 15-17. ABC affiliate KAKE reports that Sanchez was a student teacher at an elementary school and also coached basketball and volleyball to older students in the district.

Snapchat records were listed in the complaint, which includes three felonies. In her first court appearance Tuesday, Sanchez' lawyer had no comment. Her preliminary hearing is set for May 8.

Eureka residents expressed their disgust that this was happening in their city.

"I don't think you can put that on TV, what I think about it," said Andrew Bratton. "Anybody who would mess with kids I have a pretty low opinion of. If there's a word lower than low that would be my opinion of it."

Sanchez was fired by the school district when the allegations came to light in December, the superintendent said.

KAKE reported that Sanchez is one of four school employees in that area facing similar charges in a recent string of allegations.