Ex-New Jersey Teacher Spared Jail Time for Sexual Relationship with Student

Christine Knudsen, under lifetime parole, must register as a sex offender following a plea deal described as 'justice tempered with mercy.'

Christine Knudsen, a former teacher at Fair Lawn High School in New Jersey, has been spared jail time after admitting to a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student.
The relationship, which occurred in 2017 and 2018, was technically legal due to the age of consent in New Jersey, but the student was considered a child for the sentencing.
Knudsen was given a three-year suspended sentence and will be on parole for the remainder of her life. She is also required to register as a sex offender and is prohibited from having any contact with the victim.
Letters of support from Knudsen's former students were submitted to the sentencing judge, contributing to the decision to suspend her sentence.
Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Bollenbach described the plea deal as 'justice tempered with mercy,' expressing hope that Knudsen is 'forever deterred.'