Beaver Falls High School teacher charged with sending sexual text messages to student

A Beaver Falls High School teacher is facing charges after police said she was having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Sarah Massa, 24, was charged this week with corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors with sexual contact and criminal use of a communication facility.

According to police paperwork, the Beaver Falls High School principal, Douglas Rowe, a mandated reporter, received information that Massa had inappropriate sexual contact with a 16-year-old student through text messages.

The allegations were ongoing for approximately two weeks at the beginning of June, according to police.

"Rowe believes Massa may have been grooming the juvenile by giving him special treatment such as hall passes and getting him out of classes to come to hers throughout the school year. The juvenile admitted to Rowe that this has been happening," police said in the affidavit of probable cause.

Throughout the school year, the juvenile also admitted that Massa had favored him by giving him hall passes and letting him sleep in class.

Police said the student had an "extremely high grade of approximately 114%" in Massa's class.

At the end of the school year, the student said he exchanged phone numbers with Massa "in case he ever needed someone to talk to," police said.

A few days after school ended, police said Massa and the teen began to text each other.

"Massa suggested there was sexual tension between the two of them," police said in paperwork.

Police said Massa allegedly sent the student 20 to 30 pictures of herself in lingerie.

The teen said the two began communicating on Snapchat after his mother "caught on." Police said Massa sent the teen a cover story to tell his mother about why he had his teacher's phone number.

A search warrant revealed Massa deleted 3,711 messages with the student. Police said other deleted messages were to Massa's mother, where she allegedly admitted to communicating with the student and that some conversations "definitely got out of hand in terms of joking and flirting."

The district released a statement saying, "The Big Beaver Falls Area School District is aware of charges involving a district employee. The district immediately took appropriate action, notified the proper authorities, and is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation. The employee has been removed from duties involving students. The district will not tolerate any conduct that compromises the safety or well-being of students and will take all appropriate action consistent with the law and district policy." 

The district declined to comment further, calling it an "active investigation and confidential personnel matter."