A former New Jersey elementary school teacher has pleaded guilty to a child sex crime after prosecutors alleged she had a child with one of her students when he was 13.
Laura Caron, 36, pleaded guilty on Oct. 28 to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child through sexual conduct. Under the plea agreement, she faces a five-year state prison term. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2027.
Caron must give up her teaching license and any future public employment. After prison, she will be required to register under Megan’s Law and remain under parole supervision for life.
Before sentencing, Caron is to be evaluated at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel. The assessment will determine whether she is classified as repetitive or compulsive, which could affect her sentence.
Caron was arrested in January 2025. She was initially charged with sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. At the time, she taught fifth grade at Middle Township Elementary School in Cape May Court House.
Police alleged that Caron’s inappropriate relationship with the student began when he was 11 and in her class. The boy’s mother had allowed her children to stay overnight at Caron’s home. Their father said the visits began once or twice a week before the children eventually lived with Caron from 2016 to 2020.
The student reportedly fathered a child with Caron in 2019. The baby’s paternity was not immediately known after the birth. In December 2024, the boy’s father posted on Facebook about the resemblance between himself, his son and Caron’s young daughter, raising questions about who had fathered the child.
After seeing the post, the school superintendent raised concerns and began an investigation. Detectives later interviewed the student, who confirmed that he had been sexually involved with Caron and said he was the child’s father. Prosecutors estimated, based on his interviews, that the abuse occurred 416 times.
In February 2025, the former student publicly defended Caron and called for the charges to be dropped. He said he had not been groomed, raped or manipulated, and claimed he had initiated the relationship. He also said he did not want her jailed, noting that several years had passed and that he was then 19 and nearing 20.
