It goes against type when an alleged pedophile is a woman; and when we continually read the stories of adult women in “relationships” with teen boys, our heads go into tailspins.
It’s like we can’t get through a week without another story of grown-ass women (usually teachers) engaging in sexual activities with teen or preteen boys. Threaded within these narratives are uneasy definitions of rape, shot through with toxic stereotypes that question whether boys can even be violated by women, or mothers.
On Monday, police arrested a 27-year-old high school math teacher, Jennifer Danielle Olajire-Aro, after a 17-year-old student whom authorities say she had sex with came forward.
Aro faces one count of sexual battery in Charleston, S.C.
According to an affidavit, she admitted to having a sexual relationship with the 17-year-old on three occasions between November and December at her home and other locations in Charleston.
At her bond hearing, the victim’s mother spoke out, calling Aro a “hellacious person,” according to the Post and Courier.
“He is 17, 17. He is not an adult. ... Emotionally, he is not ready for this. I’m not ready for the texts, the phone calls, the comments,” she said.
Aro, who is also a tennis coach, has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the school district.
Her attorney confirms that Aro is married, with a 10-month-old baby girl, and that her husband is a surgeon at the Medical University of South Carolina.
She’s being held on $100,000 bail and has been ordered not to have contact with the victim, his family or students.
Read more at the Post and Courier.