NEW YORK — A New Jersey teacher has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an investigation into child pornography and lewd behavior.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said it announced Friday that the 42-year-old teacher was sentenced to six years in state prison and ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution to five former students.
Authorities said the teacher was also ordered to attend classes on sexual misconduct and child porn prevention, as well as sex offender treatment.
The woman’s attorney, John G. Boggs Jr., said he was not sure how much money he would seek.
The teacher’s previous court appearances were not immediately available.
The teacher has been with the Middlesex Community School District for the last 11 years.
The school district said it was not aware of the allegations against the teacher when it hired her.
A prosecutor in the case said the district did not find that the teacher had engaged in sexual misconduct with students.
In January 2017, prosecutors said the woman had sent nude photos to another student, then shared them with her parents.
She also sent a photo of herself to a teacher, who forwarded it to other teachers.
In June, the prosecutor said the school district was aware of allegations against two other teachers who had sent sexually explicit photos of themselves to students, and that one teacher was suspended for five days.
Boggs said in the first case that a teacher had sent photos of herself in a bikini to students and shared them online.
He said in this case, he was unaware of any teacher having sent explicit photos to students.