DAILY DILEMMA: TEACHER, TEEN AND BLACKMAIL

A Dickinson ISD educator faces a felony charge as allegations involving a 16-year-old student, $2,000 and a gun raise new questions.

Source: Majic 102.1 / The Madd Hatta Show

This local story out of Galveston County has more turns than a television drama, but none of it is entertainment.

Kristi Hanks, a 46-year-old Dickinson ISD educator, is charged with an improper relationship between an educator and a student. She was teaching during the summer at the Galveston County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program, where the 16-year-old student was enrolled.

Investigators say Hanks maintained frequent contact with the teenager outside the classroom. They collected evidence, interviewed several people and obtained admissions from Hanks, according to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have not publicly said whether the alleged misconduct involved physical sexual contact, sexually explicit communication or both. That distinction matters, because we should not add details that investigators have not confirmed.

Then came the twist.

According to a probable-cause affidavit reported by local media, the teenager allegedly threatened to expose the relationship unless Hanks gave him money and bought him a gun. Investigators believe she sent him about $2,000 and purchased a Glock. Hanks was arrested August 19, and prosecutors recommended a $100,000 bond. She has been charged, not convicted.

Now here is where grown folks have to hold two thoughts at once. If that teenager committed blackmail, that is serious and should be investigated. But an educator is still the adult. A student’s alleged wrongdoing does not automatically erase the responsibility, authority and boundaries that come with that job.

So this is our Daily Dilemma on The Madd Hatta Show: Does the teenager’s alleged blackmail change how you see the educator, or is the adult still completely responsible?

My answer? Investigate everybody’s actions. Hold everybody accountable. But do not confuse being blackmailed with proof that the original alleged conduct never happened. Two people can do wrong in the same story, while the adult still carries the greater duty.

Catch the Daily Dilemma weekday afternoons on The Madd Hatta Show on Majic 102.1.