A Houston teacher has been charged with two counts of improper relationship with a student. The charge is a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
A former student came forward saying that she had sexual relations with teacher Jesse Sifuentes at least eight times beginning March 2024, but did not report the relationship until this past April.
At the time of the incident, Sifuentes taught English at the High School for Law and Justice in Houston Independent School District, where he reportedly was an “off-period” teacher and a chess club sponsor.
Local news outlet ABC13 reports that the former student originally met Sifuentes in 2022 when she was a junior in high school, but they did not begin their sexual relationship or have any “inappropriate conversations” until she was 18.
The former student told investigators that they had flirted previously, with records showing she was allegedly trying to get Sifuentes to notice her.
After their first sexual encounter in March 2024, the former student said that she and Sifuentes allegedly had sex eight additional times over the course of three months.
The two allegedly exchanged more than 400 messages, including nude photos and videos.
In a statement, Houston ISD said the district was aware “of the arrest of a staff member in connection with alleged misconduct” and as soon as the allegations came to the attention of the district, “the individual was immediately removed from the classroom and has not been on campus, around students, or involved in school activities since that time.”
The district also explained that both HISD Police and district administration are investigating the matter.
According to court records, Sifuentes has posted his bond and has a court date set for August.
State records show that Sifentes has held a Texas Educator Certificate for Social Studies and English Language Arts and Reading since May 2023, and for English as a Second Language since January 2024. All three are listed as having a “valid” status.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the Texas Education Agency for sexual misconduct.
