Giovanna Yaranga, 44, Spanish teacher at Burlington High School, Burlington School District, Burlington, Vermont, "allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student" Switchboard: Giovanna Yaranga 57 Charlotte St Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 658-5724Burlington School District Press Release: Burlington High School teacher placed on administrative leave (May 6 2013) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 6, 2013 CONTACT: Jeanné Collins, Superintendent (802) 864-8474 jcollins@bsdvt.orgBurlington- Giovanna Yaranga, a Spanish teacher at Burlington High School since August 28th, 1998, has been placed on Administrative Leave pending a criminal investigation. Notification came from the Burlington Police Department that Yaranga was being arraigned today in District Court on a criminal charge stemming from allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student. An internal investigation will also be conducted. Anyone with any information should contact the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, Detective Peter Chapman, at 652-6898.This deeply upsetting news affects our entire community. Please be assured that the safety of our students is the District’s priority. The District had no evidence of physical improprieties or sexual misconduct by Ms. Yaranga. The faculty, staff and administration are well aware of their obligations as mandatory reporters of child abuse and have and will continue to fully comply with those requirements. Policy and procedures are in place to address personnel behaviors of concern, and hiring procedures include criminal background checks, abuse registry checks and reference checks. To reiterate, the District will do nothing that it believes will compromise the legal process underway or the safety and well-being of Burlington students. Tags:
Fox 44 / ABC 22: Burlington Teacher on Paid Leave Pending Criminal Investigation (May 6 2013) Burlington school officials say a high school teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave pending a criminal investigation. According to a release sent out by the Burlington School District, Spanish teacher Giovanna Yaranga is being arraigned Monday on criminal charges. School officials received word from the Burlington Police Department that Yaranga was having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Fox 44 / ABC 22: Burlington H.S. Teacher Accused of Having Sex With Student (May 6 2013) One of her 17 year old honors students admitted to having sex with the Spanish teacher. 44 year old Giovanna Yaranga is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. She pleaded not guilty in court Monday ... According to court documents, this so-called relationship began to unravel one week ago, Burlington Police found both the teacher and the student clothed - in the back seat of her car, late at night, in a parking lot ... Yaranga told police she mentors the teen when he has troubles in his personal life. The student even told police she's like a second mother to him. The investigation reveals the student even took a trip to Yaranga's home country of Peru last summer, but stayed with a host family. He said they did not have sex in Peru, but it was this past fall, when he says the relationship started to change... kissing, holding hands... all led to sex... approximately ten times, in hotels, cars, and his house.
WCAX: BHS teacher charged with sexual exploitation (May 6 2013) Donovan said the relationship unraveled on April 29 when a Burlington Police officer spotted [Giovanna] Yaranga and a 17-year-old male in the backseat of her car. They were parked behind the Maltex building on Pine Street at night ... The 17-year-old honors student at Burlington High told police he has taken several classes with Yaranga -- even traveling with her to Peru on a school trip. He described Yaranga as a "second mother" he could talk to. But also said they've had sex about 10 times since last fall -- setting up meetings via text message -- then allegedly engaging in sexual acts in Yaranga's car, area hotels and the victim's home.
WPTZ: Burlington High School teacher accused of having sex with student: Woman at the school for 15 years (May 6 2013) Yaranga is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor because of her position of power. According to court documents, her victim was a 17-year-old senior and also a student of hers ... According to court documents, Yaranga's first encounter with police was in the parking lot behind the Maltex building in downtown Burlington. Officers said they found Yaranga in the backseat of her car with the alleged victim and when they questioned her she said they were just talking and needed more legroom ... According to court documents, when police reported the incident to the Burlington High School principal, she didn't seem surprised and said she had just spoken with Yaranga two days before about her relationship with that same student ... The Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations took over the case and questioned the alleged victim. He admitted to having a sexual relationship with Yaranga since October or November 2012. He said they would plan their encounters through Spanish text messages and said they connected on a deep emotional level, but knew the relationship wouldn't work.
Long article, good overview of the case ... Burlington Free Press: State: Teacher carried on seven-month affair with teenage student (May 6 2013) Giovanna Yaranga, 44, pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington to four felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan said the allegations are that the teacher and the 17-year-old student carried on a secret sexual relationship since the fall. The conduct did not happen on school grounds, the authorities say. Donovan said there were more than four incidents, but he opted to file only four charges.
AP wire stories based on the above Burlington Free Press article: Boston Globe: Vt. teacher denies student sex charge (May 6 2013) Greenwich Time: Vt. teacher denies student sex charge (May 6 2013) San Francisco Chronicle: Vt. teacher denies student sex charge (May 6 2013)
Just a copy of a letter sent to parents by the school district ... Burlington Free Press: Burlington schools to parents: Teacher sex misconduct claim 'deeply upsetting' (May 6 2013)
WGRZ: Burlington teacher charged with sexual assault of student arraigned [VIDEO] (May 6 2013) Longtime BHS Spanish teacher Giovanna Yaranga pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court Monday, arrested after being found in back seat of a car with a teenage student, according to police.
Huffington Post: Giovanna Yaranga, Vermont Teacher, Accused Of Sex With High School Student (May 7 2013) Giovanna Yaranga, a Spanish teacher at Vermont's Burlington High School, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old senior she had as student, the Burlington Free Press reports. Burlington City Police said they found the pair in the back seat of the boy's car April 29. The 44-year-old teacher pleaded not guilty on Monday to four felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Police documents state that when the pair were discovered, Yaranga said she and the boy were talking and had needed more legroom.
Rutland Herald: Teacher denies student sex charge (May 7 2013) A Burlington High School Spanish teacher [Giovanna Yaranga] pleaded not guilty Monday to four felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor ... Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan said the investigation started after police found Yaranga and a teenage boy in the back seat of a car behind a building at about 8 p.m. on April 29. Yaranga told police she was a teacher and the boy was a student and they were in the back seat because they needed more leg room, Detective Pete Chapman said in a court affidavit.
Hispanically Speaking News: LATINO BLOTTER: Spanish Teacher Caught Sleeping with Her Student (May 7 2013) Giovanna Yaranga, 44, is a veteran teacher and was well respected in the her community, but that opinion has likely changed after Burilington City Police officers found her and a student having inappropriate contact in the back of the teen’s vehicle on April 29 ... Yaranga told police the teen was confused and wanted to continue the relationship despite her urging him to date girls his own age, and even suggested he date her daughter. The teen reportedly told police he and Yaranga had sex at least 10 times in the span of seven months and in various locations. On Monday, Yaranga pled not guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Burlington Free Press: BHS Spanish teacher arrested on new charge (May 27 2013) Giovanna Yaranga, 44, of Charlotte Street is due for arraignment Tuesday in Vermont Superior Court on a charge of violation of conditions of release in her original case, police said. The new charge is based on information police received Friday that Yaranga had contact with the victim in the earlier case, said Essex Detective Morgan Lawton, who is assigned to CUSI ... State’s Attorney T. J. Donovan said Monday evening Yaranga made contact by phone with the teenager.
NBC News: Vt. teacher charged with student sex jailed (May 27 2013) On Friday, the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations received a report that 44-year-old Giovanna Yaranga had contact with the victim in the case for which she was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor. An investigation found evidence supporting the allegation. Police say Yaranga was taken into custody Monday. She's being held at the South Burlington jail pending a Tuesday court appearance.
GUILTY Vermont Teacher Gets No Jail for Sex with Student - Update (Burlington, Vermont) Former teacher Giovanna Yaranga has been sentenced in accordance with a plea agreement. She would admit having sex with a teenage student throughout the 2012-13 school year. She would receive a prison sentence of up to four years, but it would be suspended, keeping her on probation — and under the constant threat of jail if she steps out of line. She would be listed on the state sex-offender registry for a decade and would undergo counseling. A judge outlined the plea agreement and all the rights the teacher would give up by agreeing to the arrangement with prosecutors.Even though she gets no jail, Yaranga cried in court while whimpering that she was so sorry. http://interested-participant.blogspot.com/2013/05/vermont-teacher-accused-of-sex-with.html Registered sex offender: http://www.city-data.com/so/so-Burlington-Vermont.html