Lawmakers Move To Bar Teachers From Having Sex With Students

In December 2010, a Michigan high school teacher gave his student a birthday present. The day after she turned 18, he took her to a hotel, and had sex with her. The news got out, and the police investigated. But there was no charge to throw at the 28-year-old man. Their tryst was perfectly legal.

As allegations of sexual misconduct by teachers fill the news almost daily, more states are wrestling with whether to criminalize teacher-student affairs, even if the student is 18 years old. Last week, the Michigan state senate passed a bill that would bar students of any age from having sex with their teachers, amending a previous law that let them do what they wanted once they reached 18.