Iowa Teacher Admits to Sexually Abusing Her Student in Class, Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

International Business Times

16-06-2025

A former Ankeny middle school teacher and softball coach will spend the next 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee - pattern, practice or scheme of conduct.
According to the Polk County Attorney's Office, 35-year-old Rachel Elizabeth Whiteside was arrested in February 2024after school officials received a tip from a former student that Whiteside started a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student in 2015, when she was 26 years old. Whiteside was a teacher and softball coach at Ankeny Northview Middle School.
Whiteside and the Student Had Years-Long Relationship, Engaged in Sexual Intercourse in Classroom
The investigation began when a district employee alerted the Ankeny Police Department about allegations of an inappropriate sexual relationship between Whiteside, who also is a softball coach, and a former student that began in 2015, the police department said in a statement.
The relationship had continued for several years before the victim reported it to school officials. Whiteside allegedly groomed the student and carried on a multi-year sexual relationship that started when the victim was 14 years old.
The relationship continued until the victim was 23 and included instances of sexual intercourse in Whiteside's classroom, according to the allegation the victim submitted to the school district.
Whiteside Wished Victim 'Happy Anniversary' via Email, Bought Her Gifts
An email with the words "Happy Anniversary" that Whiteside sent to the victim on Jan. 14, 2022, confirmed that the relationship had started seven years before when the victim was in 9th grade, according to court documents.
Whiteside had used her role as a teacher and coach to make the student share intimate life details, according to a criminal complaint. Whiteside also provided gifts to the victim throughout their relationship.
She also kept photographs of the victim in her classroom, and had kept a note written by the victim when she was a student in middle or high school in her desk drawer, according to court documents.
Whiteside Sentenced to 4 Consecutive 5-Year Sentences
As reported by KCCI, during the sentencing, Whiteside's attorneys argued for a 10-year sentence, but Polk County Judge Paul Scott sentenced her to four consecutive sentences of five years, for a total of 20 years behind bars. Whiteside will also be under the supervision of the Iowa Department of Corrections for 10 years and be listed on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.
"The defendant sees herself as the victim in this case," said Assistant County Attorney Thomas Tolbert. "She should have been the teacher she was required to be. Instead of helping (the victim), she sexually abused her multiple times."
Whiteside apologized to the victim, saying, "This was entirely my failure. I had a responsibility to maintain boundaries, and I deeply regret the harm I caused."
The victim said Whiteside controlled, manipulated and abused her for seven years. "I looked up to this person, and she took advantage of my vulnerability," the victim said. She also said the abuse and trauma drove her to attempt suicide multiple times.