Maren Oates: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Maren Oates, a teacher in Reno, Nevada for an elite high school, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student.

Oates, 33, was a teacher at Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology in Reno, Nevada. She is but the least female teacher in the United States to be accused of an inappropriate relationship with a student. Over the past couple years, there have been a string of such cases throughout the country.

Here’s what you need to know:

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1. Maren Oates Is Accused of Having Sex With a Pupil

Oates was placed on administrative leave after the allegations broke. The Reno Gazette-Journal called the school where she was a teacher “an elite Washoe County high school.”

Authorities have released few details about the accusations. Staff members allegedly alerted police that they thought Oates was having an inappropriate relationship with a student. She taught communications arts and media at the high school and attended the University of Nevada before embarking on her career in education.

She has been charged with having sex with a pupil and bail was set at $20,000, according to jail records.

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2. Friends Wrote on Maren’s Facebook Page That She Looked Like a Movie Star

Oates filled her Facebook pages with pictures of her making pouts for the camera and wearing excessive makeup. “You look like a movie star. ?,” wrote one friend on Facebook under the above photo of Maren Oates. “Oh… you are too sweet hun! Thx?,” Oates wrote back. Another friend wrote, “Hollywood, I love you!”

“Ur so beautiful inside and out. Count ur blessings because you are truly loved and blessed,” a friend wrote on another photo. Friends frequently praised her looks on social media, with another writing, “You couldn’t be more beautiful!”

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3. Oates Is an Avid Runner

Some of Maren Oates’ posts on Facebook are focused on running or show her running. One photo was from an adventure relay run in Reno, Nevada. Another photo showed her at a half-marathon.

On Facebook, she described herself as Distributor at SeneGence International, Teacher at Washoe County School District, and wrote that she lives in Reno, Nevada, and is from Aurora, Colorado. On Twitter, she posted about school activities. One 2017 post read, “Delirious after talent show practice? Yes. Just having fun. But we’ve got an AMAZING Talent Show full of TRAILBLAZER greatness. See ya next Tuesday 11/21!”

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4. The School Stressed That the Safety of Students Is Its Priority

The elite school responded to the accusations by placing Oates on administrative leave and releasing a statement.

“Washoe County School Police are investigating allegations that a District employee engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a student. The employee in question has been placed on administrative leave,” the statement reads.

“The safety and security of our students and staff is our number-one priority. The District cannot discuss personnel issues.” According to its website, the school is “an advanced career technical education academy within the Washoe County School District. AACT provides the opportunity for students to determine what career or college pathway they want to pursue in post-secondary education.”

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5. Multiple Female Teachers in the United States Have Ended Up in Trouble With the Law

Female teachers or educational professionals ending up in mugshots has become a too common phenomenon over the past few years.

Cassandra White, an English teacher in Oklahoma, was even accused of taking out a marriage license with a teenage boy. Hunter Day, an Oklahoma teacher, was accused of sending nude photos to a student. Among other recent cases: Loryn Barclay, a former substitute teacher at a Missouri High School, was accused of having sexual contact multiple times with a 17-year-old boy. Shawnetta Reece, a gym teacher from Georgia, was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old boy.

Tracy Miller, a West Virginia teacher, was accused of sending nude photos to students. Nataly Lopez, a 27-year-old former substitute teacher at a middle school in New Jersey, was accused of having sexual contact with a student. Lindsey Jarvis, a 27-year-old middle school teacher’s aide, was accused of the rape and sodomy of a student who was under the age of 16. Jarvis was arrested in Fayette County, Kentucky, on June 16. Then there’s Laura Ramos. She is a 31-year-old Connecticut high school teacher who is accused of having sex with a special education student. And there’s Tiffany Geliga.