Teacher suspected of sexually harassing 15-year-old student at special ed school

A teacher in northern Israel has been released to house arrest, after being detained Tuesday on suspicion of sexually harassing one of her 15-year-old students.

Israeli television said the teacher, 37, worked at a special education school near Haifa.

She was first investigated two months ago for suspected sexual offenses involving the female student.

According to WhatsApp correspondence released Wednesday, the teacher made sexually explicit comments to the student, including writing “I’m crazy about you,” in a message that quoted a song by Israeli singer Eyal Golan. Golan has himself faced allegations of sex offenses against minors.

In another exchange, after the student apparently sent the teacher a selfie, the latter wrote, “No, send me what we said.”

The student responded that she could not at the moment, but “I will do it later.”

Television reports said the student had been hospitalized in a psychiatric facility following the teacher’s arrest.

Police asked the court to delay the teacher’s release by a day in order to appeal the decision to release to a week of house arrest.

Lawyers for the teacher said their client denied any wrongdoing.