The student news site of Emmaus High School

THE STINGER

THE STINGER

The student news site of Emmaus High School

THE STINGER

THE STINGER

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Balancing work and school
February 22, 2024

Former EHS teacher pleads guilty to unlawful contact with a minor

Former+EHS+teacher+pleads+guilty+to+unlawful+contact+with+a+minor

Former Emmaus High School history teacher Heather Montero pleaded guilty to unlawful contact with a minor on July 11 and will face sentencing by Judge James T. Anthony on Oct. 30 at the Lehigh County Courthouse.

During the testimony, Montero, wearing a black cardigan and slacks, shook her head back and forth as details of her former relationship with a 17-year-old student from EHS were read aloud by the Chief Deputy District Attorney, Matthew Falk. As she took the sworn testimony, her hands shook and she began to cry, which lasted for the duration of the hearing.

The Pennsylvania State Police Department received a tip from Childline on Nov. 4, 2015, that Montero was allegedly involved in a sexual relationship with a student. Montero’s husband, Ken, discovered his wife’s affair after finding a notebook containing notes between his wife and the student, a graduate who is now 19, according to state police. Explicit letters from the student were discovered in Montero’s desk at school and sexual conversations were also found on the student’s phone and Twitter account, according to the Chief Deputy District Attorney. Falk also said that the conversations between the two were written in both the past and the future tense, and the student was a babysitter for the Montero family.

Both Montero and the student acknowledged that sexually explicit conversations did take place, according to state police. The student maintained that a physical relationship was only ever discussed and never materialized. The two did not plan to engage in sexual activity until the student had graduated from EHS, according to Montero’s lawyer.

The standard prison time for an unlawful contact with minors case is three to 12 months. Before the sentencing in October, Montero will go through a sex offender evaluation, according to Anthony.

The school district fired Montero in February after a grand jury recommended that she face charges of unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors.

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Former EHS teacher pleads guilty to unlawful contact with a minor