Published: April 09, 2009 10:12 pm      

Orangefield teacher indicted; turns self in, posts bail

ORANGEFIELD — Jennifer Lea Burton, a coach and teacher at Orangefield Junior High School, was indicted Wednesday on three counts of sexual assault and three counts of improper relationship between an educator and a student.

Both cases are 2nd degree felony offenses with a range of punishment from two years probation to 20 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 for each count. All of the indictments contain multiple counts.

The indictment said the cases “cover a period from September 2008 through November 2008. Burton was a teacher/coach at Orangefield Junior High School and the victim was a student of that school.”

Burton, 39, turned herself into the Orange County Jail late Thursday and posted bail. Bail was set at $15,000 on each count of sexual assault and $10,000 on each count of improper relationship.

“We will then make sure she has an attorney and we will give the attorney several months to investigate all aspects of the case,” Orange County District Attorney John Kimbrough said. “She (Burton) will then make the decision on either to plead guilty or not guilty to have a trial. That is the stages.”

Orangefield Independent School District officials placed Burton on leave on March 30 after learning of the matter and that a criminal investigation had been initiated.

Philip Welch, superintendent of the Orangefield Independent School District, issued a statement Thursday after Burton’s indictment became public.

“The entire school community is shocked and saddened to learn that a professional teacher might be involved in any crime against a child,” Welch said in the statement. “School district personnel will continue their focus on maintaining a safe school environment for our students.”

Burton is a 1987 graduate of Orangefield High School, has been teaching within the district since 2003 and has a daughter who attends Orangefield Junior High School in the eighth grade. As part of her job, she coaches volleyball, basketball and track.

The case has not yet been assigned to a State District Court, so no trial schedule has been established.

Welch confirmed that a report of the incident has been made to the State Board for Educator Certification, the division of the Texas Education Agency that licenses teachers, and that the school board will consider taking action on Burton’s employment contract at a specially called school board meeting Monday.

This is the third case of accusations an Orange County school has had to deal with concerning inappropriate relationships between a teacher and student.

In Feb. 2008, Danny Reynolds, Vidor High School assistant principal, was indicted on charges of sexual assault and an inappropriate relationship with a female student. Reynolds was found not guilty of the charges.