- Janet Klatt
Janet Botton-Klatt (born 1962), sometimes incorrectly called "Janice," is a former teacher at
Cannon School inConcord, North Carolina . She is accused of having sexual relations with a 16-year old male student.Biography
Janet Klatt was born in
Zimbabwe and was educated at and received her B.Ed. from theUniversity of South Africa .Background Information
Klatt joined
Cannon School 's history department in 2005, teaching World History to sophomores. [ [http://www.wral.com/news/9256503/detail.html] Dead link|date=March 2008] OnMay 10 ,2006 , school officials fired her and alerted authorities immediately after discovering allegations of an inappropriate relationship. [ [http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-ad-5_30_06-cannon.395fae62.html Local News | News for Charlotte, North Carolina | WCNC.com | Local News ] ] According to Raleigh police spokeswoman Jim Sughre, "That type of relationship is specifically forbidden by law regardless of what the surrounding circumstances might be." [ [http://www.wral.com/news/9256503/detail.html] Dead link|date=March 2008] Although North Carolina Constitutional Law recognizes a sixteen year old as an adult, the teacher student laws in existence supersede and prohibit consenting sexual behavior.Arrest and Punishment
On Monday, May 22, Klatt was arrested and charged in Raleigh with "sexual activity between a school personnel member and a student," a felony in North Carolina. On Tuesday, May 23, Klatt appeared in a
Wake County courtroom and was released from jail after posting the $5,000 bond. [ [http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?AC=&ArID=120352&SecID=2 News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | LOCAL NEWS ] ] Although the student is an adult (16) by North Carolina Law, the law applying to teachers and students does not recognize age as a factor.Cannon School reported to the media that it is "saddened by the allegations that a former teacher had sex with a 16-year-old student". [ [http://www.wsoctv.com/news/9260482/detail.html School Responds To Teacher's Sex Charge - Charlotte News Story - WSOC Charlotte ] ] The school released a statement to the press indicating that it "moved quickly to protect the safety and privacy of its students" and had "terminated the teacher and notified the police...once it got credible evidence". [ [http://www.wsoctv.com/news/9260482/detail.html School Responds To Teacher's Sex Charge - Charlotte News Story - WSOC Charlotte ] ]On January 12th, 2007, original charges of Sex with a Student were dismissed and Klatt accepted an offered agreement pursuant to State v. Alford for Indecent Liberties with a Student (of adult age). Indecent Liberties with a Student specifically states that no sexual intercourse occurred but alleges that behavior was inappropriate. Behavior in this charge can range from inappropriate conversations to inappropriate contact. Accepting an agreement pursuant to State v. Alford, allows a defendant to agree to a charge without any admittance of guilt or wrong doing.
chool Response
The school has not issued any further statement since Klatt accepted an offered agreement pursuant to State v. Alford for Indecent Liberties with a Student (of adult age).
References
External links
* [http://www.wsoctv.com/news/9256221/detail.html# WSOCTV News]
22 May 2006
* [http://www.wnct.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WNCT/MGArticle/NCT_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137836268231 WNCT News]23 May 2006
* [http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?AC=&ArID=120352&SecID=2 News 14 Carolina]23 May 2006
* [http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-ad-5_30_06-cannon.395fae62.html WCNC News]30 May 2006
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