‘I Am The Victim,’ An Iowa Teacher Argues As She Pleads Not Guilty To Sexually Exploiting Her Student [Video]

Mary Beth Haglin, a teacher from Iowa, has pleaded not guilty to sexually exploiting her student. The Iowa teacher’s trial is set to begin on November 14. The teacher from Iowa has requested that her trial should be moved out of Linn County because of how much publicity the pre-trial received.

Mary Beth Haglin was barred from teaching in the Cedar Rapids Community School District after an investigation was launched. As the result of a miscommunication, however, she continued to work as a substitute teacher for an elementary school towards the end of the 2015-2016 school year, according to USA Today.

In August of this year, Ralph Plagman, the principal of Washington High School, was asked to resign after the school district determined he played a role in the ineffective initial investigation that was launched against the teacher from Iowa who is pleading not guilty to sexually exploiting her student.

While appearing on The Dr. Phil Show, the Iowa teacher claimed the student continued to ask her to meet for lunch and/or coffee. She originally met the student she has been accused of sexually exploiting when she was just a student teacher at Washington High School. At the time, she was 23-years-old and he was 17-years-old.

The teacher from Iowa began chatting with the student on Facebook as well as through text messages in September of last year. It was the following month, in October, when the relationship became physical. On The Dr. Phil Show, the teacher from Iowa claimed to be vulnerable and that she had confided in the student.

“One night after a particularly bad night with my boyfriend, we had gotten into a big fight, and the next day I looked at his message and thought, ‘I’m just going to respond.'”

The teacher from Iowa admitted that she was having sex with her student on a daily basis in her car at public parks. She also had sex with the student in his car, at his mother’s house, and at his father’s house.

In the state of Iowa, this is considered sexual exploitation by a school staff member because teachers in this state are prohibited from having sexual contact with students even if the students are legally old enough to be in a relationship with the teacher. In fact, teachers are required to wait 30 days after a student graduates in order to engage in a sexual relationship.

Iowa teacher – My student seduced me with big words, now I’m a stripper https://t.co/xFN7qQ01ep via @nypost

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) October 21, 2016

According to the teacher from Iowa who has pleaded not guilty to sexually exploiting her student, her student would send her “sexy notes,” and she thought she would be able to keep the relationship she had had with the student for nine months a secret.

“Trust me, it’s not difficult to be a caring boyfriend. Especially to someone as magnificent as you,” was one of the text messages the student left her.

The teacher from Iowa said the student even left her romantic messages in Post-It notes as well. She even revealed she sent naked pictures – some of the pictures were even graphic – to her student. She learned that he shared these pictures with his friends.

“You have got to be dumber than a box of rocks to share naked pictures with a 17-year-old boy,” Dr. Phil McGraw said about halfway through the show.

Two students spotted the teacher from Iowa and the student she has been accused of exploiting in her vehicle in June. The students captured what they found in a video and then posted the video on Twitter.

‘You ruined my life’ Mary Beth Haglin ex teacher blames victim https://t.co/coqDG7xbkO #mensrights #feminism #Dr Phil show #sexual abuse

— Scallywagandvagabond (@ScallywagNYC) October 19, 2016

Mary Beth Haglin told Dr. Phil she even tried to end the relationship with her student, but the student would not allow it. She claims the boy said he would “light a match and burn down her life.” For this reason, she was scared to end the relationship.

After being fired from her teaching position, she has switched to working as a stripper and uses the name Bambi. Dr. Phil has offered to provide the teacher from Iowa with counseling, as well as to help her find a job other than stripping.

What do you think about this Iowa teacher who pleaded not guilty to sexually exploiting her student? Do you think she was the victim she claims to be? Share your thoughts on this in the comments below.

[Featured Image via kozirsky/ShutterStock]