A 45 year old teacher and mother of four has been arrested for having sex with a 17 year old student. Warner Christian Academy teacher Cynthia Horvath has been charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a second-degree felony. Neither of the agencies’ investigations are complete. The sexual trysts occurred at least 25 times in seedy motels, under bridges, and in the teacher’s car.
You don’t even have to be a parent of a teenager to find this extremely disturbing and alarming. The private school was founded in 1971 and its mission is to help students develop “spiritually, academically, socially, and physically.” The school is affiliated with the White Chapel Church of God and serves the Halifax community in Volusia County.
The scourge of sexual abuse of minors is not something that is a bygone phenomenon. It’s happening right now and it’s taking place in our schools, youth groups, churches, and at times, our hospitals. If we’re going to protect our children from the horrors of sexual abuse we have to start with vigilance and education about the dangers of sexual abuse.