Greeley Teacher Arrested, Admits To Having Student's Child
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4)- A Greeley teacher admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student two years ago and having his child.
An anonymous tip led police to Rhonda Eisenberg's home.
The teen allegedly lived with Eisenberg two years ago. The child was born in February 2011.
Eisenberg, 44, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of sexual assault on a child, one for pattern of abuse and one for being in a position of trust. She appeared before a judge in Greeley Wednesday morning and told him she's not a bad person and just wants to go home and see her three children.
Eisenberg taught Spanish at Northridge High School. She was placed on leave Tuesday once school administrators learned of her arrest.
Police said she had legal guardianship over the boy, whose parents lived in Mexico at the time. The teen remains in the U.S. In a police affidavit detectives said they found a document that was written in Spanish that gave Eisenberg legal guardianship over the student.
An official said it appears the family left Colorado but the student wanted to stay so he could graduate from Northridge High School.
Detectives say the school was aware Eisenberg was the student's guardian.
"(It's) terribly sad news for the school. This is a long-time teacher with the district. She's been with the district since 1991," district official Roger Fielder said. "We're all just dealing with the shock of this news."
The alleged assaults happened between June 2010 and September 2010. Eisenberg told police she had sex with the student between 20 and 30 times while he lived with her. Police will not release his name because he was a juvenile at the time of the assaults.
Eisenberg also told police the student, who is now 19, offers assistance as the child's father.
Eisenberg's father was in court to support her.
"We're devastated, of course. Everything is turned upside-down, nothing is going to be the same after this," he said. "We're still here for her."
The judge has set Eisenberg's bond at $50,000. If she posts, she will be ordered not to have contact with the former student or any children other than her own.
