Brittiny Lopez-Murray: Florida teacher arrested for having sex with minor student
MIAMI, FLORIDA: A 31-year-old Florida middle school drama teacher, Brittiny Lopez-Murray, was arrested on Monday, October 4, for allegedly having sex with a former student in her car on multiple occasions. A police report obtained by the Miami Herald said that the alleged relationship between the student and the teacher began in August when the teacher texted the teen about “her feelings toward” him. The report said that the teacher and the student exchanged texts talking about “how much they enjoyed the sex with each other". The student is now in high school. Lopez-Murray has been charged with lewd and lascivious battery, molestation, and engaging in a sexual act with a child.
Lopez-Murray, who has taught at Hialeah Middle for four years, was named “rookie teacher of the year” in 2017. The incident came to light after the student's sister saw explicit texts and photos that had been exchanged between him and Lopez-Murray. The report obtained by the Miami Herald said that the father of the boy also found nude photos of the teacher on his son's phone. Reportedly, Lopez-Murray would sometimes pick the boy up after basketball practice, after which the two would engage in sexual activities inside her car. The Miami-Dade school district has claimed that they will fire Lopez-Murray.
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“All employees receive training and are expected to abide by the District’s Standards of Ethical Conduct policy. It is unfortunate that despite our efforts, the actions of some individuals run contrary to the behavior that is expected of them. As a result of this arrest, M-DCPS will begin the process of terminating her employment and prevent her from seeking future work with this District," the district said.
The district also said that it was “saddened and disappointed over these serious allegations given that the District takes great measures to ensure our students are educated in safe learning environments." A lawyer of the teacher noted that his client is “presumed innocent until proven guilty." “We hope everyone is patient, doesn’t rush to judgment and respects the family’s privacy,” the lawyer said.
The arrest of Lopez-Murray came on the same day that Miami-Dade police announced the arrest of a 36-year-old teacher call Daniel Fernandez in an unrelated case. Fernandez has been accused of kissing and fondling a 14-year-old girl at Renaissance Charter Middle School. On Monday, October 4, a federal civil jury reportedly demanded that the Miami-Dade school district pay $6 million to a former student who accused a former Palmetto High creative writing teacher of sexually abusing her.