Sending our children off to school is a difficult process, even after many years. When we send our toddlers, grade schoolers, even high schoolers out into the world and put our trust in educators, we are taking a lot of things for granted. We trust that they will be educated, happy, and most of all, safe.
Unfortunately, the modern age has shown us time and again that even something as simple as trust in the education system is no longer a foregone conclusion. Educators, like anyone in power, can abuse that power in terrible ways. Most don’t have any excuse for it but one guilty party is doing all she can to justify her reprehensible actions…
**Continue Reading for Video at End of Story**
Featured Photo Credit: Brianne Altice / Facebook
School Rumors
It happened, as so many of these stories do, at a high school. In this case, Davis High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ms. Altice was the subject of much discussion amongst the students and staff. The topic of these discussions, “Who is Ms. Altice sleeping with now?” became something of a running joke throughout the school.
Separate Relationships
This was no joke, however. Altice was indeed sleeping with a number of individuals within the school. The only problem with this was the fact that at least three of her alleged partners were high school students. Over the course of several months, Altice had three separate sexual relationships with students she befriended as their teacher…
Picnic
Altice met the teens at parks, in cars, and even at her home while her husband was away in order to engage in carnal relations with these three impressionable young men. They would go on dates or picnics together. It was almost as if they were dating. Despite the whispers throughout the school and the rumors of her misdeeds, no one actually knew the truth.
Seeking Advice
If you’d asked Altice about it, she would tell you that the relationships all started when one of the boys had come to her for advice. His relationship with his parents had been difficult and he needed someone to talk to about it. She advised him to communicate with his parents and continue to do his best in school. Surprisingly, that little bit of advice did wonders…
Improving Grades
The boy’s grades began to show improvement while she was his teacher. Now, some cynical people might say that this miraculous improvement in academic prowess is due to the fact that she was his teacher and therefore used her influence to pad his grades. Still, it could be that the attention he was receiving in school simply spurred him towards higher achievement.
Stand-Up Guy
In time, her guidance became more than just an odd piece of advice. He was smitten with her and he was ready to show it publicly if need be. This included striking back at those who spoke ill of her. If he heard someone making fun of her or talking about her supposed promiscuity, he would defend her honor. Eventually, some folks began to take notice…
Free Time
The rumors continued and people started talking about how she allowed her “boys” to skip class in order to spend time with her. Altice, of course, tried to quash these rumors, spending time with both male and female students in her classroom before and after school, and during their lunch hour. Unfortunately for Altice, the effort was too little too late.
Letting them Know
One of the young men whom Altice had become intimate with ended up reporting the incident and pressing charges. His initial report indicated that he was 16 years old when he first engaged in sexual contact with his teacher. He was underage at the time, which meant the 36-year-old was guilty of statutory rape and much more besides…
A Litany of Charges
Altice originally faced a range of 14 felony charges including five counts of rape. In the end, she had no choice but to plead guilty. The final charge ended up being forcible sexual abuse and involved three young men. Two of them were 16 and the other was 17 at the time. She was given a lengthy sentence of two to 30 years in prison.
Sentencing
At her sentencing, Altice stood up before the court and expressed how emotionally damaged she had been at the time of the many liaisons with the students. She admitted that she made mistakes by giving into her teenage students’ advances. In essence, she partially blamed the students for the whole sordid affair. This wasn’t exactly wrong, as it takes two to tango, but it definitely didn’t help her case…
New Litigation
Since the verdict, Altice has become divorced from her husband and is currently imprisoned, but the story was far from over. A lawsuit has recently been brought against both Altice and Davis High School by one of the victims and their parents. The particulars of the lawsuit aren’t exactly clear but the gist is that the victim seeks an unspecified amount in damages for physical, mental and emotional pain.
Lawsuit
He also wants funds enough to pay for the expenses he’s accrued as a result of counseling, therapy, and all forms of related care and treatment. The lawsuit also seeks punitive damages against Altice. Unfortunately, imprisoned as she was, Altice couldn’t exactly afford a lawyer, let alone pay if she lost the lawsuit. She had to think of something…
Post-Sentence Defense
All Altice could do was try to defend her actions further so she submitted a handwritten two-page document in federal court to that effect. The main focus of the document stated that she had “no evil or malicious intent” in her relationship with the boy. She included many details about the nature of their “friendship” in the letter.
Unaffordable
She admitted the truth as well, that she wrote the two-page letter and submitted it to the court because she couldn’t afford legal counsel. She also used the letter as a place where she could be candid about some of her reasons for doing as she had done. Some of these directly referenced the boy’s strained relationship with his parents…
They Didn’t Care
Altice was fighting back against the lawsuit and those who had condemned her for her actions. She argued that the boy’s parents had been inattentive, at times dismissive towards their son and never even attended any parent-teacher conferences to see how he had been doing in school. Regardless of this, he still managed to get his grades up; with her help of course.
No Reprimands
It wasn’t just the parents that took the blame for Altice’s crimes either. The letter accused Davis High School as well. Altice indicated that she had never been reprimanded by the school for her conduct either in or out of the classroom. Further revelations indicated that the high school knew exactly what she was doing and did nothing about it…
Original Knowledge
The original complaint alleged that the school’s management had been told about Altice’s inappropriate behavior with her male students, but chose not to act on the information. This, of course, accounted for the many rumors swirling about the school concerning “who Ms. Altice was sleeping with.” As expected, school officials denied any knowledge of what was going on.
Risque Clothing
Altice’s letter also shot down claims that she had been wearing inappropriate, risque clothing in the classroom. According to her, she never received any complaints about her work attire. If she had been doing so, and if the administration had any problem with it, they never said anything. Clothing aside, she still had to address her alleged behavior as well…
Flirting Back and Forth
Many attest that in these cases, it is the abuser who initially begins with rampant flirtation. Altice’s argument is that her young victims would often initiate flirting, telling her that she was “hot” or saying things like “you’re sexy.” That is hardly a defense though, as most teachers would chide the students, informing them that such comments were inappropriate.
Denial
The school denies that they are culpable at all as a result of some state law which exempts state entities for physical and emotional harm suffered as the result of physical battery. In the end, it’s up to the courts to decide if any of what Altice said in the letter is defense enough to save her from the lawsuit. You can watch the video of Altice’s defense below…
