Texas Teacher Charged with Sexual Assault

A 27-year-old science teacher at a Texas high school was charged this week with sexual assault of a child, implicating the teacher in a relationship with one of her students.

The investigation of Deanna Higgins, which has been ongoing since January, began when the teacher's ex-husband reportedly read an incriminating text message on her cell phone when she leant the phone to her 8-year-old son, KHOU-TV in Houston reports. Higgins, who was hired by Spring High School in January 2008, is the mother of three children.

The school responded by sending a letter home with students acknowledging the charges and informing families that a second Spring High School teacher is also under police investigation. The letter furthermore advised parents to speak with their children about reporting improper behavior to school or local authorities.

One Spring High student, Brooke Caravela, told the news source, "Lots of people saw this coming. She was very open, so it just seemed like she would do something like that."

The alleged victim admitted to police officers that he had sex with his teacher inside his pickup truck, which he parked outside her home while her children slept inside.

By Texas law, all suspected cases of child abuse or neglect must be reported to child protective services or the local police department.