A longtime California teacher was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a high school student that lasted more than three years, police said.
Angela Webb, a 50-year-old PE teacher at Tulare Union High School, was arrested Friday at her home in Tulare, about 50 miles southeast of Fresno, after police learned of the alleged relationship late last month, the Visalia Times-Delta reported.
The alleged victim is a former student at the school, where Webb also coached volleyball during her five years there. Police officials refused to further identify the former student due to the “sensitive nature” of an ongoing investigation, Lt. Jarod Boatman told the newspaper.
The victim has confirmed the allegations, according to police.
Webb, who has been employed by the Tulare Joint Union High School District since 1992, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe, district officials confirmed in a statement. Webb earns in excess of $133,000 annually, including benefits, according to the Visalia Times-Delta.
“The district takes the allegations against Mrs. Webb very seriously and is continuing to work with Tulare Police Department as they investigate this matter,” school officials said in a statement. “While the district understands the need and desire for more information, there are specific laws that govern school districts which prohibit the district from sharing details of an ongoing personnel investigation.”
Parents at the school were stunned by the allegations.
“That’s really shocking and annoying because I have a son who goes there,” parent Alfred Crisp told KFSN. “Who is to say it didn’t happen to him?”
Webb, according to the station, allegedly performed sex acts on the unidentified student, who has since moved out of California. Investigators are also not ruling out the possibility of other victims, KFSN reports.
“It’s definitely not OK,” Crisp continued. “They should be held at a very high standard because they are teaching our kids. They’re supposed to be teaching them bigger and better things and this is not good at all.”
A former student of Webb’s, meanwhile, said Webb seemed like the type of educator who strictly followed school district procedures and guidelines.
“She went by the rules,” Linda Delgado told KFSN. “It was always the way she wanted things to be done. Typical strict teacher.”
Webb seemingly excelled as a volleyball coach at Tulare Union, leading the school’s team to four league titles between 2008 and 2013, YourCentralValley.com reports.
“As a mother, it’s devastating to hear, especially in my community,” a mother of a former student at the school told the website. “If this is true, oh definitely, her career is done.”