ALBANY, N.Y. – A 42-year-old teacher at a Catholic school who was charged with rape for allegedly having sex with an underage male student posted a $20,000 bond Tuesday and was released from jail.
Authorities said Sandra Beth Geisel (search) had sex with four students from the Christian Brothers Academy (search) in Colonie, N.Y., but in three of the cases the boys were 17-years-old and therefore were legally able to give their consent. Geisel faces sexual assault charges for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old boy.
John Aretakis, who has represented alleged victims of clerical sexual abuse (search) and is now the lawyer for a 17-year-old CBA student who allegedly had sex with Geisel, said the school ignored her "bizarre and irresponsible behavior" for months.
Geisel, a mother of four, was fired from the school in June. She was on the school's payroll first as an English teacher and then as a volunteer in the school's writing lab.
Police in Cohoes, a town adjacent to Colonie, responded to a resident's call June 11 about a suspicious parked car. Police said they found Geisel and a 17-year-old student inside the car.
About a week later, the school sent a letter to parents about the alleged affair, though officials didn't identify the teacher. Officials said they'd found the conduct inappropriate.
For more on the story from Albany's local paper, The Times Union, click here.
After reports of Geisel's dismissal spread, a 16-year-old student, at the urging of his parents, reported to Colonie police that he'd had two sexual encounters with her, according to the Troy Record.
"If [Geisel] were a man, she'd likely be referred to as a predator," said Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider.
Geisel faces 16 years in prison.
Heider said Geisel first had sex with the 16-year-old the night of May 15 in her Latham home, and then again on the night of May 28 in the press box at the school's football field.
Signed statements by the boy and others describe a number of sexual encounters involving the former teacher.
On the online RateMyTeachers.com, Geisel won lascivious praise from one — and real admiration from others.
For example, one student went online in March to pant, "down boy down — get what I'm saying guys." Another, last November, declared her "much more" than "just a pretty face." Another, in February, called her an "amazing writer."
The New York Post contributed to this report.
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