Court ruling sets disturbing precedent

Even before we stepped into a classroom at some school in this great country of ours, we knew the importance of being obedient to teachers.

After all, at that time they were so much bigger than us, along with the added fact these were adults and we were mere children; our parents taught us these people were to receive our respect.

With each new day came another nugget of wisdom, valuable knowledge that may not be needed at that moment but could come in handy in days ahead. On a daily basis for around nine months each year teachers bring their best in an effort to make a lasting impression in young lives, in addition to being able to rest at night knowing they can live their later years in peace because the future is in good hands.

It doesn't take rocket science to know that teachers hold a special place in their students' hearts. Why else would a child regularly bring a delicious apple to school at a time in their lives when they are quite territorial about personal belongings?

No doubt as years passed by, these beacons of learning seemed to get shorter and in some cases, looser in how they treated students. Steadily becoming more like a big brother or sister rather than a revered entity, teachers steadily slacked up on the rope little by little, only doing so if they had reason to believe we could handle responsibilities.

But we always knew that there was a line in the sand, and if it was crossed there would be consequences.

There was a certain code of student-teacher conduct at all levels of education, each reading something like this:

— Students are not to make any type of physical contact with teachers.

— Teachers being their superiors and deserving of their respect, students are never to get into verbal spats with them, risking in-school or out-of-school suspension, with the possibility of expulsion.

— In accordance with the laws of the state and to promote a healthy learning environment, teachers and students are never to be involved in a personal relationship aside from that in the classroom.

No doubt being a teenager and having the opportunity to be in the presence of some attractive teachers definitely caused me and others my age to develop a crush or two.

In the Palmetto State, the age of consent is 16 years of age, with adults in line to be charged with a felony if caught having sexual contact with a teenager and be more than four years their senior.

However, the law does allow those 18-years old or younger to have consensual sex with someone as young as 14.

Though I don't necessarily agree with teens being of the right mind to do "grown folk" stuff at such a young age, we would be stupid to say it will not occur.

For students and teachers to be allowed to have a relationship with each other though, is totally ludicrous; but for at least one Southern state, it is a reality.

In June, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that teachers can legally have sexual contact with students as long as they are 16 years of age or older, the minimum age of consent in the state. The ruling came during an appeal of the conviction in the case of Melissa Lee Chase, a 30-year-old teacher sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2007 for the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl. The instructor told authorities the physical contact was consensual.

The Georgia General Assembly passes statutes criminalizing sexual contact between people in a position of authority like teachers, prison guards or psychiatrists. While state law disallows a consent defense for those like guards or psychiatrists, the court ruled that such defense was valid for this case.

"Generally speaking, it is not a crime in Georgia to have physical sexual contact with a willing participant who is 16 years of age or older," said Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, according to a report in the Augusta Chronicle. "The District Attorney's passion for protecting school-age children is admirable. However, to accept these arguments would be to legislate by judicial fiat, and to do so ex post facto to boot. We will not usurp the General Assembly's legislative role."

It's unbelievable that in 2009 we would have to talk about the re-writing of "stone age" laws passed by legislators decades ago.

The precedent is disturbing and could encourage predators to become more bold in their actions. Hopefully legislators in the Peach State will rethink their position on this issue before the flood gates open and others committing similar acts make their attempt to jump through this legal loophole.

Also potentially at risk are students whose instructors can't, or won't, focus entirely on his or her job. Honestly, I'm rather surprised there hasn't been more outrage about this — guess I'm more passionate about our next generation than they are, but who's to say?

Certainly this is an illustration of how bizarre this country has become in a short time.

Just when you think it can't stoop any lower, it gets worse.

We'll see brighter days though, just keep the faith.