Erica DePalo, "Teacher of the Year," accused of having sexual relationship with student at NJ school

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Erica DePalo (right) walks with her attorney Anthony Alfano into Essex County Superior Court in Newark, N.J.

/ AP Photo/Julio Cortez

(CBS/AP) NEWARK, N.J. - A New Jersey teacher who had been named 2011's "Teacher of the Year" at the high school where she taught was in court Wednesday answering charges that she had sex with a 15-year-old boy in her honors English class.

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Erica DePalo's attorney, Anthony Alfano, entered a not guilty plea on her behalf during a hearing in Superior Court in Newark. DePalo, 33, is facing aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment charges. Prosecutors said she carried

on a "sexual relationship" with her student from June 2012 until just recently, according to court documents.

DePalo was arrested on Aug. 31, but remains free on $100,000 bail. She is due back in court on Oct. 22.

School officials said DePalo is indefinitely suspended from teaching English at West Orange High School, where she was a teacher for nearly a decade.

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by seeseesee September 14, 2012 8:45 AM EDT: Female teachers should be able to screw 15 year old boys - And Male teachers should be able to screw 15 year old girls.....Yeah Baby!; Reply to this comment


by user_names_are_all_taken September 13, 2012 1:02 PM EDT: Guilty until proven innocent with this type of job!; Reply to this comment


by Slim2471 September 13, 2012 9:36 AM EDT: He's 33?; Reply to this comment


by ugleyme September 13, 2012 8:55 AM EDT: I have to feel sorry for this young victim of someone else's lust. He has to live with this memory and guilt the rest of his life. Lucky little bastard...; Reply to this comment


by royalstar05 September 13, 2012 8:37 AM EDT: Its Chris Christies fault.; Reply to this comment


by askagain September 13, 2012 2:15 AM EDT: From many of the comments, this woman has been found guilty without the benefit of a trial. Just as there have been cases where a teacher had sex with a student, there have been many false accusations made by students. In the 1970s when I taught in a high school, the National Teachers Association advised us never to be in a classroom alone with a student because of false accusations from angry or unstable students.; Reply to this comment


by MIO42 September 12, 2012 10:07 PM EDT: Thats how's s he became Teacher of the Year

I know a thousand people will say it too, but here goes anyway

"WHERE WE'RE ALL THESE HOT BRODS WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL"?; Reply to this comment


by vernique3 September 12, 2012 8:28 PM EDT: Of course she is teacher of the year but not in the classroom.; Reply to this comment

by willie48 September 12, 2012 8:22 PM EDT

It just seems to me, lots of trouble would be averted if high schools and jr high schools had qualified sex teachers to relieve the extreem sex pressures that naturaly attend young boys. This would reduce unwanted teen pregnancy,std,violance, and probably much wasted time that should be devoted to studies. But,this is not happen, as it would abolish too many parasitic government social service entities. Glorified gutlessness is the norm.

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by pwgrant September 13, 2012 6:40 AM EDT: Interesting idea, however this teacher's method of providing relief is (or might?) be what got her into trouble in the first place. Just how do propose "relief" be provided? I can't WAIT for your answer. If you write well, it will probably be suitable for the Penthouse forums.
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"...qualified sex teachers to relieve the extreem sex pressures that naturaly attend young boys."


by willie48 September 13, 2012 4:43 PM EDT: pwgrant : No, I don't write well . No, this is not about Penthouse . And its definantly not for the narrow minded authoritarian personality types for whom the status - quo is the ultimate standard, be it ever so dysfunctional . It is about enlightenment, reform, and moral hygene . Sex relief for boys constits in the mater of fact meeting with a specialy trained sex teacher , in order to engage in vigorous copulation treatments of all methods, along with competent instruction reguarding the sacredness of sex, reproduction, birth control, std, compasion, marrage, and the universality of love. In these times of hyprocracy and moral cowaradess, we need our shamens. Politicaly correct anthropology can not privail against anthropologicaly correct politics .