Teacher arrested in Buckeye for alleged sexual contact with high school student

PHOENIX — A teacher was arrested in Buckeye on Wednesday for alleged sexual contact with a high school student for at least two months, authorities said.

Alyssa Todd, 23, was booked into a Maricopa County jail on counts of luring a minor for sexual exploitation, sexual exploitation of a minor and sexual conduct with a minor. Her bond was set at $75,000.

Officers were contacted by a family member of Todd who suspected there could be inappropriate behavior between the teacher and a 15-year-old student, the Buckeye Police department said.

When did the alleged sex crimes take place?

Todd was a teacher and athletic coach at the Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Studies High School at the time of the alleged crimes. She no longer works at the school.

An investigation revealed Todd had been abusing the victim on and off campus, police said.

“The Buckeye Police Department is committed to keeping schools safe for students to learn and thrive,” Carissa Planalp, a spokesperson for the department, said in a press release. “This is the third arrest of a female sexual predator with ties to our local schools in less than a year.”

The high school near Verrado Way and Yuma Road is part of the Odyssey Family of Schools, which was granted a state charter in 2009. The district also operates a preschool, three K-5 schools and a junior high campus.

Here’s who else has been arrested for sex crimes against students in Buckeye

Todd is the second woman accused of improper sexual contact with a student attending the charter high school in recent months.

Jessica Kramer, 42, was arrested on multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor in September 2023 for an alleged relationship with a 17-year-old boy that started in August 2022. Kramer left OIAIS in October 2022.

The third similar incident occurred in October, when 23-year-old teaching assistant Diana Pirvu was arrested for alleged sex crimes involving a 13-year-old student at the Imagine Schools charter school near 247th Avenue and Durango Street.

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