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Princeton teacher faces sex charge

Collin County Sheriff's Office

A Princeton High School special education teacher has been arrested on suspicion of having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old male student.

Saralyn Gayle Portwood, 30, was taken into custody by officers from the Collin County Sheriff's Office on Apr. 17 and then released that day on $10,000 bond. The charge is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Portwood was immediately suspended from her job pending an investigation according to Princeton Independent School District superintendent Philip Anthony. Portwood has been teaching at Princeton for less than a year and the 17-year-old boy involved in the allegations is not part of her special education classes.

According to a probable cause affidavit released on Apr. 21, the student claims Portwood repeatedly complimented the student on his appearance, brushed up against him, touched him inappropriately and texted the student.

The student claims he told Portwood that he was uninterested in a personal relationship with her, yet she persisted.

According to the affidavit, on one occasion, Portwood summoned the student to her office, where she pushed him against a desk, pulled down his shorts and performed oral sex on the student.  

Anthony said the district learned of a possible problem with Portwood and alerted law enforcement.

“We’ve turned it all over to Collin County to run their investigation,” Anthony said.

Credit Facebook
Saralyn Portwood

According to the school district’s website, Portwood is the wife of Princeton High School teacher John Portwood, who is on the football coaching staff and teaches government and economics. The couple has a three-year-old son, according to John Portwood’s staff page. The Dallas Morning News reports that Saralyn Portwood is a member of several educator groups, including Texas High School Coaches Wives Association and Campus for Christ.

Mark Haslett has served at KETR since 2013. Since then, the station's news operation has enjoyed an increase in listener engagement and audience metrics, as well recognition in the Texas AP Broadcasters awards.