Somerset County Prosecutor\’s Office
Michelina Aichele, an English teacher at Montgomery Township High School in New Jersey, is accused of sending nude pictures to a 17-year-old student. A press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s office said that the investigation into Aichele, 29, began on October 4, after school officials contacted the Montgomery Township Police Department. Aichele is a resident of the Hillsborough Township in New Jersey. School officials told police that there has been “sexually explicit communications between a teacher and a male student.”
The victim was interviewed by investigators. He said that over the past few months, he had received “nude photos” from Aichele. The victim said that he had “sexually explicit conversations” with the suspect via social media and email, the prosecutor’s office said. Aichele was arrested without incident on October 5. She is accused of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Aichele was held at Somerset County Jail. Aichele has also been suspended from her job.
1. Aichele Describes Herself as an ‘Experienced Teacher With a Demonstrated History of Working Well With People’
Research Gate
Online records show that Aichele was paid $70,306 in 2017. According to her LinkedIn page, Aichele has worked at Montgomery Township High School since 2012 as an English teacher. Aichele says on that profile that she is a 2012 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus where she studied English Language and Literature and a 2017 graduate of Rutgers University, where she attained a Master’s in English Language and Literature. Aichele refers to herself as an “Experienced Educator with a demonstrated history of working well with people.” My Central Jersey reports that Aichele was a basketball guard at Manville High School as well as a shortstop on the school’s baseball team during her senior year. Aichele was also a soccer and lacrosse coach at Montgomery Township High School.
2. In March 2018, a Student Said that There Were ‘Rumors Aichele Snapchats & Instagram DMs Students’
Rate My Teachers
In March 2018, one of Aichele’s students wrote on Rate My Teachers, “Good teacher, but weirdly intimate with some of the guys in my grade. She also brings up sex in class discussions at any chance she can, so that, plus the fact that she’s VERY friendly with the guys can make me uncomfortable in her class. Rumors that she Snapchats and instagram dms students.” The day before news of Aichele’s arrest became public, the teacher’s page became inundated with 19 new reviews. One person said that Aichele was “one of those adults who never really left high school.” Another person who identified themselves as a former student gave Aichele a glowing review and suggested that her arrest was based on nothing more than rumors. The reviews on her page are overwhelmingly positive. In January 2015, a reviewer wrote, “Great bod!!!!!!!!111!!!!!!!!11 afterschool help is the bomb!!!!!!! ;);) she sits really close to you and she doesn’t care for commitment which means you have a chance ;).”
3. Aichele Wanted Her Students to Leave Her Class With a Deeper Understanding of ‘Heroes & Villains’
Pinterest/Cathy Aichele
Aichele’s profile on Montgomery Township High School’s website has been removed. A cached version of the page reveals that she was offering “extra help” to students in a classroom on Thursdays. The texts listed on her page for her students include The Great Gatsby, a story of forbidden love, and The Crucible. Aichele writes on that profile, “This course will explore the concepts and definitions of heroes, villains, monsters, and everything in between. The course will analyze the characteristics of a monster, the shades of good and evil, and how society’s point of view affects our perceptions of those around us. Through analyzing texts from different cultures and critiquing film, students will leave the course with a deeper understanding of the factors that influence how we define heroes, villains, and monsters.”
4. Female Educators Make Up a Small Percentage of Teacher’s Involved in Teacher/Student Relationships
Slate reported that female educators make up 4 percent of convicted rapists in teacher/student scandals in 2006. While in 2016, former Department of Education chief of staff, Terry Abbott, wrote in the Washington Post that teacher/student sex scandals were on the rise. For example, in Kentucky in 2011, the state saw the number of teacher/student sexual relationships nearly double.
5. Texas Is the state Where Lawmakers Are Trying to Pass Laws to Prevent Offending Teachers From Teaching Against
In November 2016, Texas State Representative Tony Dale sought to pass legislation that would prevent, as Dale says, teachers merely resigning and moving. Dale said of his legislation, “HB 218 increases penalties and close loopholes that allow educators who engage in inappropriate relationships to resign and obtain employment in another district. This bill seeks to allow Texas the tools we need to get rid of teachers who prey on our children.”