Bucks Music Teacher Charged With Having Sex With Male Student, 14
By Brad Segall and Syma Chowdhry
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Bridgett Szychulski is a band teacher, a wife, a mother and she is pregnant with another baby on the way, but according to a criminal complaint, she is accused of being a child predator after having an alleged sexual relationship with a student.
The 31-year-old band instructor in the Central Bucks School District is under arrest, accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student while he was enrolled at Lenape Middle School, in Doylestown.
Szychulski did not have anything to say as she was being taken to her arraignment Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors say an anonymous tip came in to the state-operated "Child Line," which forwarded the information to police and the school district.
An investigation was launched, resulting in the arrest of Szychulski, of Philadelphia. She faces charges that include statutory sexual assault and indecent aggravated assault.
"Our understanding of the timeline at this point is that it began sometime in the beginning of 2012 and ended sometime towards the end of the school year," said county prosecutor Matthew Lannetti. "At this point we're aware of three separate incidents."
Two of those, he says, were on school grounds.
Lannetti adds, "A young kid and a person who is in a certain position. This isn't just any adult, this is a teacher, so yes this is very concerning."
According to the criminal complaint, the relationship started off with the victim and the band teacher sexting each other. That led to at least three sexual encounters, once in her car, once in a storage closet near the band room at school and another time in her office.
The complaint goes on to say the victim told his friend about the relationship and Szychulski responded via text quote,"why would you do that? I could lose my job, my family."
Szychulski was suspended by the school district last Friday.
She is married with a four-year-old child and defense attorneys say the she is pregnant with her second child.
The judge set an unsecured bail at $500,000.
She was suspended with pay from the Central Bucks school district, but now that she has been arrested, she will be suspended with no pay, starting tomorrow.
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