Authorities say a Maryland high school teacher has been arrested after she allegedly shared sexual and “obscene” photographs with a 17-year-old male student at her school, PEOPLE confirms.
LaToya Parker, 40, faces charges of sexual abuse of a minor, displaying sexual material to a minor and solicitation of a minor, the Charles County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. The alleged incidents took place between the fall of 2016 and March, authorities said.
Parker has been a family and consumer science teacher at St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland, since 2015, according to Kimberly Hill, the superintendent of Charles County Public Schools.
In a letter to parents, Hill said Parker is accused of sharing “inappropriate photographs and electronic messages” with a student.
“I am alarmed, saddened and angry about these allegations that involve a teacher — an adult trusted to work with our children,” Hill said in a separate statement. “These allegations are horrifying.”
The alleged incidents were first reported to authorities in May, at which point Parker was pulled from the classroom and reassigned to a temporarily administrative role, according to the school’s principal, Richard Conley.
“We have cooperated fully with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office throughout the investigation,” Superintendent Hill wrote in her letter to parents.
Parker was arrested Monday and has been released from custody on a $20,000 bond. She was ordered not to have any contact with minors, the sheriff’s office said.
She could not be immediately reached for comment and it’s unclear if she has a lawyer.
Her mother declined to comment when reached by phone on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on People.com
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