(11/16/07 - Initial BBT Report)
Steven Weidenbach, 27, a business teacher at Fife High School, in Fife, Washington has entered a not guilty plea to seven misdemeanor counts alleging he sent sexually suggestive text messages to current and former students.
Weidenbach, who is married and has one child, told police his text messages were misinterpreted and he never meant to send sexually suggestive messages to any students.
Among the messages Weidenback allegedly sent were those:
to a 17-year-old current student asking who she would take to a desert island if stranded, if she wanted to stay celibate and the “most scandalous” thing she had ever done.
to another 17-year-old current student asking who she would bring to a desert island and added that he would bring her. She said the teacher told her that her boyfriend was bad and she should spend time with Weidenbach so she could see how a real man treats a girl.
to an 18-year-old former student asking who she would take to a desert island, what teacher she would take with her, and how much money someone would have to pay her to strip.
to an 18-year-old former student asking, “‘If you were a stripper, what would your price be?’”
to a 19-year-old former student asking her who she’d had sex with, what teacher she would want to spend time with, and what was the “most scandalous” thing she’d done.
to a 20-year-old former student asking her about her bra size and “‘If you could have sex with one high school teacher, who would it be?” Weidenbach allegedly also told this girl she was on the top 10 list of Fife High female graduates he would like to have sex with.
The communications allegedly took place between the beginning of November 2006 and the beginning of October 2007.
3/01/08 - Guilty Plea
Steven Weidenbach has pleaded guilty to one count of telephone harassment as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Also as part of the deal prosecutors dropped four counts of telephone harassment and two counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
Under the plea agreement Weidenbach received a two-year deferred sentence and must undergo a psychological evaluation. If Weidenbach adheres to the provisions of the deferred sentence his conviction will be dismissed after two years.
10/29/08 - Steven Weidenback’s Resignation Accepted
On October 27th the Fife School Board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Steven Weidenbach who has been on paid administrative leave since he was arrested in October 2007.
Weidenbach’s resignation is effective at the end of the current semester - Jan. 23, 2009.
References:
Fife School Board accepts resignation of teacher arrested in 2007
Fife high school teacher takes plea deal in harassment case (4/01/08)
Teacher’s suggestive messages detailed (11/16/07)
Teacher charged in texting case (11/07/07)
Fife High School teacher charged (11/07/07)
Webmaster’s note - This case is in my opinion weak, very weak in a criminal context. Clearly communications such as those listed above justify investigation and action on the part of the school district, if the allegations are found true.
Few if any are likely to “excuse” such communications between a teacher and a student, however there is very legitimate question as to whether such communications rise to the level of crime in most jurisdictions.
Since Steven Weidenbach is charged with a crimes that fact is being referenced here and his case will be followed as would any other. However it appears to this writer that unless there are aspects of this case which have not yet come to public attention this is a situation that should be handled by the local school board rather than the courts.
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