Case dropped against ex-teacher in student relationship case
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A judge has dismissed charges against a former West Texas teacher and swim coach accused of having an improper relationship with a student.
Kathryn Maples, a former history teacher at Odessa Permian High School, was indicted on three counts of an improper relationship between an educator and a student in 2013.
Judge James Rush dismissed the counts on Wednesday, citing a 2015 appeals court opinion that said the original law, under which Maples was indicted, was too broad and unconstitutional. The law was later updated.
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Maples was 28 when she was accused of having an improper relationship with a 17-year-old student. She declined comment after Wednesday's court ruling.
Ector County Independent School District Superintendent Tom Crowe says the district has no plans to rehire Maples, who resigned in 2013.