It seems like every day, another teacher is caught having inappropriate relations with a teacher. In years past, these assailants have been largely male; however, as of late, women have been grabbing these headlines more often. 45-year-old Nebraska substitute teacher Erin Ward is now facing charges after being found nude in the back of her vehicle with a 17-year-old student.

What makes this one more interesting than others is the occupation of her husband. The Harvard-educated 53-year-old William Douglas Ward is Deputy Director of the Commander’s Action Group and Senior Nuclear Deterrence Advisor at the United States Strategic Command in Omaha. Holding the position since 2005, their family has three kids, with one of them nearly the same age as the victim. As both parents are heavily involved in the community and the school, they are well-known and heavily documented on social media.

Working as a substitute at Omaha Burke High School, she met the young victim while assigned there. As Nebraska’s age of consent is 16, statutory rape was on the table for charges. However, her position made her liable for felony sexual abuse by a school employee. Under this charge, she faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

KETV reported Burke High School principal Darren Rasmussen said, “We are writing to share that law enforcement has arrested a metro-area substitute teacher for inappropriate conduct with a minor. The individual worked at Burke High several days during the 2023-24 school year. They will not be returning to our school or any others in our district.” While a great thing that they will be keeping her from teaching again, this is a perverse problem that we need to address.