Teacher arrested for alleged relationship with minor

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A teacher has bonded out of jail after she was arrested for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Miami Police arrested 29-year-old Waleska Velasquez on three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, Thursday morning. Valasquez has since bonded out of jail.

According to police, Velasquez, a special education teacher at Miami Jackson Senior High School, stands accused of having an unlawful sexual relationship with one of her students while lavishing him with cash and gifts from 2009 to 2010. The 29-year-old woman also sent texts to the teenager with pictures of herself nude and in lingerie, police said. The boy is now 17 years old. He was 16 when the relationship supposedly began.

Miami Police opened the investigation after the Department of Children and Families received a tip on their hotline. Police said the special education teacher admitted to having an inappropriate relationship.

"When you send your child to school, you're going on the assumption that these adults are there to take care of your children," said Sarah Deben, a concerned parent, "so they've already broken the trust that every parent has placed on the teacher."

"Well, obviously the adult knows more, they should be able to make wise decisions, but again the children need to be taught as well how to defend themselves," said another concerned parent.

Valasquez's grandmother was stunned by the news. "I just don't know what to say," she said through a translator. "I'm surprised. Of course this is not good."

Miami-Dade County Public Schools issued a statement saying: "School district staff is regularly reminded that personal relationships with students are unethical and forbidden by School Board rule, and may be illegal, as in this instance. The district will work toward a swift termination of this employee."

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