Mary Beth Haglin pictured on her Facebook page.
An Iowa teacher says the local school district are responsible for her having a prolonged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy. The teacher, Mary Beth Haglin, 24, was arrested on July 22 and accused of abusing a student while she was subbing at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids. Authorities say the relationship lasted for the entire 2015/16 school year.
Immediately after posting bail Haglin did a series of interviews where she had sensationally blamed the Cedar Rapids Community School District of allowing the relationship to take place. When speaking to KCRG, Haglin said that previous abusive relationships had allowed her to become vulnerable.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Haglin Has Turned to Porn & Stripping After Losing Her Teaching Job
Haglin told Crime Watch Daily that since being fired from her job within the Cedar Rapids Community School District, she has turned to stripping and porn to pay the bills. In the above clip, you’ll see Haglin at work at a strip joint, being visited by her victim. During the video, he refuses to answer the question, “Did Mary Beth give you a lapdance?”
In October 2016, Haglin had made an appearance on Dr. Phil, where she elaborated on the relationship. Haglin appeared to blame her victim for the relationship. She said the boy seduced her “with such intelligence and such an elevated vocabulary that I was completely duped by the whole facade… I don’t know what was going through his brain. He thought it would be cool… bragging rights… I don’t know.”
Haglin also spoke about how the boy would refer to her as “Mrs. Robinson,” a nod to the Dustin Hoffman movie, The Graduate.
Later, Haglin said that the victim became enraged when she tried to end their relationship. She said, “When things got way out of control, and I wanted out, he began saying, “I will light a match and burn your life down.”
During a separate interview with Inside Edition, Haglin said the victim “would come into my classroom, grab a Post-It, write something and stick it to my desk on his way out.” She said that one of the notes said, “I love you so much, my empress.”
2. Haglin Said the School District Knew About the Relationship But Did Nothing Because They Didn’t Want the Bad Publicity
(Screengrab via KWWL)
In an interview with KGAN-TV, Haglin said:
These people all knew what was going on, and yet hey turned a blind eye because they wanted to protect their school. They didn’t want it to get into the limelight.
She told the station that the relationship began in October 2015. Haglin continued, “They allowed this to happen. They knew in February.” KCRG reports that the disciplinary process only began in April 2016 when a video of Haglin and the student together began to circulate in the community.
KWWL reports that the relationship occurred while Haglin had been working at George Washington High School in Cedar Rapids as a substitute teacher. The school is regularly ranked among the best in the U.S. On the school’s website, it says that the school is the number one high school in Iowa, citing the Washington Post. The campus is located along Forest Drive Southeast in Cedar Rapids.
3. Haglin Was Sentenced to 90 Days in Prison in February 2017
(Screengrab via KWWL)
Haglin was sentenced to 90 days in prison and 10 years probation on February 17, reported the Cedar Rapids Gazette. She also has 270 days of prison time suspended. During her trial, the judge ruled that no television interviews would be allowed as evidence. Haglin said at one point, “I’m more complex than this one snapshot in time.” As she was sentenced, Haglin’s mother sobbed, being consoled by her other daughter.
Haglin first handed herself into authorities on July 22 and spent one night in Linn County Jail before posting bail, reported the Cedar Rapids Gazette. In a separate interview with KCRG, Haglin said, “I do take responsibility. I’m not shying away from this. I’m facing this head on.”
Haglin took aim at the school district again in another interview with the Cedar Rapids Gazette saying:
They didn’t ban me.
They never actually said they were banning me from school grounds, they never said they were banning me from working at any other school, they never said they were banning me from thus-and-so many feet of any school.
They never said any of that.
4. She Worked as a Substitute Teacher at a Middle & an Elementary School After Being Fired From George Washington High School
(Screengrab via KWWL)
KCRG reports that Haglin was fired from the school on May 17 and told that the issue was being reported to authorities. Despite that claim, on May 18, Haglin was hired by schools, Harrison Elementary, Oak Ridge and Prairie Creek in Cedar Rapids and worked there until the end of the school year, reports CBS Iowa.
KCRG reports that Haglin’s name remained on Grant Wood Area Education Agency list. That list is where Cedar Rapids schools hire substitute teachers from.
According to her Facebook page, Haglin now works as a waitress at Leonardo’s Restaurant & Pizza in Cedar Rapids. Haglin says that she began working in the Cedar Rapids school system in January 2015. She is a native of Alexandria, Minnesota.
(Facebook)
During her interview with KCRG, Haglin said she never wanted to see the 17-year-old again saying, “I no longer have a desire or wish to contact or see this person ever again. And I don’t want him to contact me.”
5. While in College, Haglin Was the Recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship
(Facebook)
Haglin is a graduate of Coe College in Cedar Rapids. She graduated in 2014 after majoring in both English and Spanish, according to a news release from the school. The statement says that upon graduation, Haglin was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to continue her studies in Bulgaria but had to decline for an unspecified reason. The release also notes, “She earned a teaching endorsement in secondary education while at Coe.”
On her Facebook page, Haglin says that she is fluent in American sign language.
She maintained a teaching blog that features her demands of students:
-Students are expected to turn in all homework on time and have material prepared for class
-Students are expected to arrive on time for class and be in their seats when the bell rings
-Students are expected to be respectful, responsible, and caring to classmates and the teacher
-Students are asked to come to class with a ready and willing attitude toward learning