I remember when I was in like high school or something I learned that it wasn't good for teachers and students to have sex with each other. I remember in health class talking about something about sexual harassment, and, how something about how students would have sex with teachers, and how I was warned against it... now they're encouraging it?

God why weren't some of my teachers and I in Washington...well that is wrong but you should get the sarcasm. But also remember that for the most part the students are never harmed (maybe in some rare cases). Just because they are younger doesn't mean they think any differently. Still a bad bill and bad decision by them on their part. I wonder how they managed to make this decision?

I don't get the "need" to "protect" an 18 yo from consentual sex.

If they are a student of the teacher, it does create a conflict of interest, though.

Now we're debating whether or not it is right if two consenting adults have sex? Really? Aren't there more pressing issues we could be dealing with?

Lets just ban sex altogether. We're creeping towards that point. Might as well go for it all at once.

CAN NOT agree more with the last two posters above me.

Two adults having sex is nobody's business but their own.

I guess Florida has some sexy teenagers. I have one thing to say. Puberty. That is when it becomes natural for our children/teenagers to have sex. This is also when they start growing the parts necessary for people to find them attractive . This is only natural.

By the time children are 16 or 17 some of them are looking pretty decent. In all reality children do not age at the same rate. I am not saying that it's ok that teachers have sexual relations with children. What I am say is that it's natural for older individuals to find younger individuals sexually attractive at a certain age. People have expected that age to move up over the years but that's not the case. Our youth start developing at a certain age and that is the age the people will find them attractive.

It's not about the rights of consenting adults. There is a strict relationship between student and teacher that simply cannot be breached, or else the integrity of the institution that is education will have been destroyed as well. I think this is just another example of the increasing laziness of the court system. They realized that they didn't want to spend all that money on the possibly hundreds of potential cases popping up all across the state, and decided to acquit everyone instantaneously through the implementation of this law.

[edit on 14-1-2009 by cognoscente]

Idiots.
Oh yes. It is a very well thought out conclusion.
Idiots.

Great sex is just sex and not murderer.
18 then it's good to go.
I do not see why people see sex like such a dirty act, it's just a pain killer, a feeling to relax and it feels good.

Obviously there is nothing wrong with two consenting adults having sex but it is unethical when teachers start having sex with their students. I don't think it should be allowed just due to ethics, otherwise, I have no problem with it as long as they are both adults.

[edit on 1/14/2009 by leisuredrummer]

Man oh Man!!! Too bad this law wasn't passed before 1997. I was 17 my senior year but I could have easily lied to this one teacher and said that I was 18 if I knew the taboo to have relationships with students was gone under certain circumstances.

THis teacher was Hot. Hot. hot Hot. SHe was mid 20's, would sit on the corner of the desks in her skirts( both legs hanging off the sides of the table so that the corner of the desk would be between them.) flirt with half the male population. she clearly liked the attention of the young guys. Every guy though what if. some even proposed it and she would be "no how wrong would that be a teacher with a student." but she sounded playful when talking about it.

But even if the taboo had been removed back the nit still wouldn't have made much of a difference. guys check this episode of "man failure" that happened to me regarding this teacher.

A month after graduation a friend and I were driving down near Hermosa Beach looking for a place to park when we came across her roller blading in some spandex rollerblading type outfit that was popular back in the late 90's. she offered us to park at her house (she lived in hermosa with her newly wed husband she didn't seem too into) so we didn't have to look for public parking. we did, we sat in her living room twiddling our thumbs after she invited us in. she left to go to her bedroom to change and came back wearing a white blouse and a skirt, we still sat there like idiots twiddling our thumbs. she offered a toast to us graduating high school and we all took a shot. then my friend and I went back to being retards and twiddling our thumbs. we eventually left not having sealed and obvious deal (obvious to anybody with half a brain which niether of us had at the time) to her complete confusion and went on to walk along the beach looking at girls wondering when our time to score with some hot ladies would come. talk about a dumb and dumber moment. total dee dee dee's for sure. Grown up since then, not sure I've gained any more sense.

Originally posted by cognoscente
It's not about the rights of consenting adults.

Yes it is. Once a person is 18 and gives his/her consent, nothing wrong has occurred. If this were forced or some sort of sexual harassment, my opinion would be different. But what we are talking about here IS the act occurring between two consenting adults.

There is a strict relationship between student and teacher that simply cannot be breached, or else the integrity of the institution that is education will have been destroyed as well.

Are you saying that the "institution that is education" has not already been destroyed? That's a funny thought there. My old high school has a %73 dropout rate and the education has had problems up the (expletive) for years. It is far too damaged for you to insinuate that it could be any further destroyed.

I think this is just another example of the increasing laziness of the court system. They realized that they didn't want to spend all that money on the possibly hundreds of potential cases popping up all across the state, and decided to acquit everyone instantaneously through the implementation of this law.

This is not court laziness, this is one tiny little strand of rational thought from a court. Shocking to say the least. This is the court realizing that they have no business sticking their noses in the business of two consenting adults.

I'd agree with the adults and consensual sex, just let em be.

But this does open up a lot of room for manipulation. What's to stop seniors from having a relationship and laying guilt trips on teachers to give them unfair advantages in class?

18 = Adult.

End of story there shouldn't be any legal ruleing outside of this unless it's against the legality of principle within the schools mandates.

What could be worrying is when a teacher gives you unusually low marks. Then solicits sexual favors from you to give you high marks