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School Board Members Want A Closer Look At Teacher-Student Sex Issue

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By THOMAS W. KRAUSE of The Tampa Tribune and LYNN CARSON of News Channel 8

Published: March 21, 2008

Updated: 03/21/2008 06:16 pm

TAMPA - A Hillsborough County school board official said she plans to hold an emergency meeting to figure out whether there are ways to prevent hiring teachers who might have a propensity to have sex with their students.

Mary Jo Spack

As police investigations continue into two teachers accused of having sex with students, the board's chairwoman, Jennifer Faliero, said today that she is calling an emergency board meeting. No date has been set.

The meeting will address the status of the teacher arrested Thursday, but also will discuss larger issues. With two teachers arrested seven days apart for having sex with students, Faliero said, officials need to figure out whether there is something they are missing.

She said she will invite members of the teachers union, representatives for the schools' staff and Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober to the meeting.

"Right now we do one-on-one interviews with teachers and background checks," Faliero said. "Is there something we can do to predict if someone will have this behavior?"

Police arrested Mary Jo Spack, 45, Thursday, saying she met a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old student at a liquor store last week, bought alcohol and went to the Howard Johnson Express motel on Fowler Avenue. Other students arrived and heard Spack and the 17-year-old having sex in the shower, according to police reports.

On March 13, Stephanie Ragusa, 28, was arrested and is facing charges that she had sex with a 14-year-old student from January to May 2007.

At the school board's last meeting on Tuesday, Ragusa was suspended without pay. School officials said Spack is suspended with pay. The school board, which meets again on April 15, can alter that status.

In addition to the most recent arrests, Middleton High School special education teacher Christina Butler was arrested on similar charges last year. Newsome High School soccer coach Ronnie Lewis was arrested on similar charges in January. Their cases, likewise, are ongoing.

This morning, Tampa police Lt. Ronald McMullen said investigators were "assuming" Spack has more victims. The department later clarified his statement by saying there is no evidence to suggest that there are more victims. Department spokeswoman Andrea Davis said that if there are other victims, they should contact police.

Spack, of Wesley Chapel, is married and has a 13-year-old daughter. Neither the 17-year-old nor the 18-year-old was her student, police said.

Spack has posted $8,500 bail on Thursday and been released pending trial. She could not be reached for comment.

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

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