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Teacher Fibbed About Honor On Resume - And Misspelled It

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 16, 2008

TAMPA -- Teacher Stephanie Ragusa, accused of having sex with two Davidsen Middle School students, misspelled "suma cum laude" on her resume when she said she earned the honor from the University of South Florida.

Stephanie Ragusa

It also turns out she didn't even earn it.

Ragusa did graduate from the university in December 2002, USF spokeswoman Lara Wade said today. When Wade checked with the registrar's office to see if Ragusa graduated with honors, however, Wade said she found an inaccuracy.

"She did not receive them," Wade said.

Students graduating summa cum laude from University of South Florida must have at least a 3.9 grade point average.

Wade said she would not be allowed to provide The Tampa Tribune with Ragusa's GPA but that it definitely wasn't high enough for honors.

After being told by the Tribune of Wade's finding, school district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said she was disappointed to hear of the discrepancy.

"I don't know why someone would put that on, because we get their transcript," Cobbe said.
Linda Kipley, the district's general manager for professional standards, said the district doesn't check whether a teacher has earned honors from a university. Honors don't make a difference in a teacher's pay grade, she said.

Ragusa's GPA from USF did allow her to graduate and meet the district's standard for hiring her, Kipley said.

"She did not lie about having a degree," Kipley said.

Ragusa, 28, was first arrested March 13, charged with five counts of lewd and lascivious battery. Investigators accused her of having sex at least three times with a then 14-year-old boy from January 2007 to May 2007.

She was arrested again Tuesday, accused of having a sexual relationship with a Davidsen student when the boy was 15. She was charged with two counts of sex with a minor and one count of lewd and lascivious battery.

Ragusa and the second teen's relationship started Feb. 15, 2007, when they had sex at Ragusa's former home on Fox Terrier Court in Tampa, investigators said. From then until March 10 this year – three days before Ragusa's first arrest – she and the teen had sex more than 20 times, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

Contacted today by telephone, Ragusa said, "I'm sorry, I cannot make any comments."

Ragusa also was accused of buying the second teen alcohol during their relationship, investigators said.

She last contacted the boy March 10, when she sent him text messages and they agreed to meet at her home, 15324 Lake Bella Vista Drive, Carter said. She said investigators seized Ragusa's cell phone on a search warrant after her first arrest and found the messages.

That's how the sheriff's office identified the second teen, Carter said.

She said there also might be other victims.

Ragusa was released Tuesday night from Orient Road Jail on $22,500 bail.

She remains suspended without pay, Cobbe said.

The two teens are not being identified because they are considered victims of sex crimes.

Ragusa started working for the school district in 2006 at Madison Middle School in South Tampa, then voluntarily transferred midyear to Davidsen. Most recently, Ragusa was a math teacher at Martinez Middle School in Lutz.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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