Teacher pleads guilty to sex charge

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A former South Austin high school teacher pleaded guilty Thursday for having an inappropriate relationship with one of his students. Police said Ranulfo "Randy" Arias, 27, who had plans to marry his 17-year-old student at Akins High School.

Arias taught Spanish and was the cross-country coach at Akins since 2006. On Thursday, Arias agreed to a plea bargain which includes 10 years deferred adjudication. Under the agreement, Arias is not required by law to register as a sex offender and is permitted to have unsupervised contact with his own three children.

According to an arrest warrant, the student said Arias asked her out on a date in early March. Over the next four weeks, the two had several sexual encounters. The teen, who was accompanied by her mother, even applied for a marriage license.

The police report said Arias brought the girl back to his apartment off Stassney Lane after they went to the movies in March 2008. The girl said she and Arias had sex.

Police said they believe the pair went on to meet every Saturday during March and had sex every time they got together. Arias resigned in April after word of the relationship got out.

"Our teachers and all the employees are held to a standard, keep that trust that the parents give upon us," said Lt. Eric Mendez, with the Austin Independent School District police.

Whether or not the parent consented to the marriage, a sexual relationship between a student and teacher is against the law in the state of Texas. Texas law states the age of consent is 17, but as a teacher, Arias is considered a public servant.