High school teacher arrested after alleged video of her having sex with student
Ayanna Davis, 20, had sex four times with a student believed to be 16 years old or younger
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
A high school substitute teacher in Florida has been arrested on charges of sexual battery after she allegedly had sex with a student, authorities have said.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Ayanna Davis, 20, a substitute teacher at Lakeland High School (LHS) was arrested on Friday after a snapchat video of her allegedly having sex with a student surfaced.
The statement said the investigation started on 3 December after a student at the school reported the video to school resource officers.
While authorities have not been able to locate the video yet, the complainant student said the video had been shown to a large group of LHS football players, reported NBC News.
The sheriff’s office said that Ms Davis had “unprotected sex” four times with the student who is believed to be 16 years old or even younger.
The student told authorities that they had sex twice at their house and twice at Ms Davis’ house, reported The Ledger.
“She was in a position of influence over the victim and she took advantage of that for her own twisted pleasure,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Ms Davis has been charged with two counts of sexual battery by custodian and a charge of offences against students by an authority figure. The sheriff’s office added that she was also charged by the Lakeland Police Department with two additional counts of sexual battery.
Ms Davis was employed as a substitute English teacher through a staffing company called Kelly Education Services.
The company said that she was employed on 23 August after a thorough background check as well as perusal of her educational qualifications. She has now been barred from working at any Polk County Public School.
“First, the safety of students is our highest priority,” said a statement by Kelly Education Services. “Ayanna Davis has been deactivated and is not able to accept assignments pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.”
In a statement, Polk County Public School superintendent Frederick Heid said that Ms Davis’ conduct was in violation of the trust between students and teachers.
“We expect substitute teachers to uphold the same high standards of conduct and professionalism as our full-time educators,” said Mr Heid. “The charges against this person are disgraceful and a complete violation of the trust that teachers build with their students. There is no room in our schools for this type of conduct.”
Ms Davis is out on a bond of $60,000 (£45,302) and is due to appear in court for arraignment on 10 January.