Teacher Admits to Relationship with Student

A married teacher has confessed to engaging in sexual activity with a 16-year-old student, as court documents reveal. Meetings reportedly took place in various hidden locations, including classroom closets and even outside in the bushes.

Madeline Gregory, who held a position as a youth leader at a local church, was apprehended on Monday near Sprague High School in Washington. Both she and the student acknowledged the complexity of their relationship, according to the court records.

The boy’s mother became concerned after discovering unsettling messages on her son’s phone the day after Valentine’s Day. Among these messages were pleas from the 29-year-old teacher, expressing desperation not to lose the boy when he attempted to end their communication.

Following a review of surveillance footage, police found that Gregory, also known as Madeline Schoon, repeatedly remained with the minor beyond school hours, even when he was performing well academically.

Documented evidence indicates that the student spent considerable time in a classroom closet, up to 45 minutes, where he admitted that sexual encounters occurred.

In addition to the incidents in the closet, they both admitted to kissing and fondling in a gym closet and near the school’s tennis courts. The boy’s mother mentioned that he had been Gregory’s student for two years and even acted as her physical therapist, but their interactions took a turn last September.

Suspicious of late-night texting, the mother started spending more time with her son after school and on weekends. The documents further suggest that the teacher confided in the boy about her marital issues, even discussing the prospect of a divorce.

Reports indicate that Gregory expressed her discomfort by saying, “It may be awkward, but I don’t want to lose you.”

Their association expanded beyond school grounds; surveillance suggested that after a meeting in a Walmart parking lot in December, they left together in her vehicle, returning more than two hours later.

Gregory allegedly instructed the boy not to date other students in Sprague, a small town with fewer than 600 residents. The boy informed the authorities that when he sought to end the relationship, Gregory threatened to harm herself.

On Tuesday, Gregory faced Lincoln County District Court for charges related to sexual misconduct with a minor and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Her bail has been set at $50,000, and she has been mandated to refrain from contacting children.

Superintendent Raymond Lieber of the Sprague School District stated that the district is treating these allegations “extremely seriously” and is working closely with the police.