A topless photo of herself and sexually explicit comments were among the 50 or so text messages a Clarkston teacher sent to one of her special education students over the course of a year, police said Friday.
Now, Michelle Simonson, 28, of Oxford Township is facing felony charges of enticing a minor for immoral purposes and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor.
She resigned her position in the Clarkston Community Schools on Friday and is expected to appear in an Oakland County court in the coming weeks for a preliminary examination.
If convicted, Simonson could face up to four years in prison.
She is the latest female teacher in metro Detroit to be accused of preying on a male student — a crime experts say is being reported more often.
The racy texts came to light after the 14-year-old boy became uncomfortable and told his foster parents: His Clarkston teacher, a 28-year-old married woman, had been sending them for about a year.
The foster parents contacted Oakland County Child Protective Services, who notified the Oakland County Sheriff's Office on June 24.
During a July 21 interview with the boy, he told investigators he was uncomfortable and asked Simonson to stop. He also said there was never any physical contact between them. Authorities say there's no evidence the teacher had inappropriate contact with other students.
Simonson of Oxford Township was the boy's special education teacher during the 2008-09 year -- her second with the district. On Friday, she resigned.
Her attorney, Michael Manley, said she's been a teacher for about seven years -- two in Clarkston -- and has no criminal record, "not even a speeding ticket."
Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said Simonson texted a topless photo of herself to the Sashabaw Middle School student, along with about 50 other messages -- some sexually explicit.
She was charged Aug. 7 in 52-2 District Court in Independence Township with enticing a minor for immoral purposes and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor and is free on a $1,500 personal bond.
Manley said she'll be back in court in the coming weeks for a preliminary examination.
"We had no idea this was going on," said Anita Banach, district spokeswoman. "It was a shock to the entire district."
Statistics on how many boys are victimized by female teachers are hard to nail down. But the result is clear, experts say.
"These young men can have real damage because of these situations," said Dr. Gerald Shiener, a forensic psychiatrist at Wayne State University.
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