A Virginia teacher is accused of grooming her students by wearing a bikini to lead a water aerobics class before allegedly having sex with one of them when she drove them home from school.
Claire Wright Mitchell, who worked as a PE teacher at Mecklenburg County High School in southern Virginia, allegedly began the "grooming" in the summer of 2023, around a year after she joined the school from Park View High School.
Mitchell Allegedly Had Sex with a Student While Driving Them Home from School
Prosecutors said the 31-year-old teacher was on a school field trip, when she held a water aerobics class in the hotel while wearing a bikini. Ms Mitchell's husband, Dakota Mitchell, sat nearby in a hot tub, prosecutors said.
Ms Mitchell also allegedly messaged several students, sending one of them a photo of her breasts in an attempt to get them to have sex with her, SoVaNow reported. In one incident, the teacher allegedly had sexual relations with a student while she was supposed to be driving them home from school.
School leadership was made aware of the alleged abuse in February, and passed the details onto law enforcement.
Mitchell Ordered to Remain Under House Arrest, Avoid Contact with Anyone Under the Age of 18
Ms Mitchell was arrested in April on charges of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship, and one felony count of using the internet, a computer network, or other communication device to solicit sex with a minor. She appeared in court on Wednesday where she was released from prison on a $25,000 bond.
In the hearing, prosecutor Allen Nash said that Mr Mitchell appeared to be unaware of his wife's alleged conduct and that he had not done anything to make the students feel uncomfortable.
However, Mr Nash did allege that the husband had tried to talk to various students after learning of the accusations against his wife. Mr Mitchell told the court that he did not know about his wife's behavior and that she had never brought a student to their home.
The teacher's husband and parents offered their homes as collateral to pay for her $25,000 bond. The judge has now ordered her to remain under house arrest, with no access to the internet or social media, as well as no contact with anyone under the age of 18. Ms Mitchell pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and she will next appear in court on 20 May.
