Teacher Gabriela Cortez/ Photo from @GigiGraciette/ Twitter
Teacher Gabriela Cortez/ Photo from @GigiGraciette/ Twitter
Gabriela Cortez, the Spanish teacher at Roosevelt High School who had sex with two of her students, could have served six years in jail, but instead received probation.
Last February, The Beat reported Cortez, 43, was arrested by Montebello police after two male students came forward revealing they had a sexual relationship with her,
On Nov. 19, Cortez pleaded guilty to six felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse for acts that occurred between September 2009 and November 2010.
Cortez was sentenced to five years probation, was barred from teaching and ordered to undergo counseling by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Edmund W. Clarke Jr. on Monday.
According to The Daily News, the judge made his decision based on a report which recommended probation, and was also persuaded by Cortez’s attorney, Edward Robinson, that probation would be “the just sentence.”
My background: I was born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, where I got my start in journalism by launching a community blog. Most recently, I worked at the Los Angeles Times and have spent most of my career covering local news in LA, with a focus on community-centered stories, Latino communities and mentoring emerging writers.
What I do: I lead coverage of Boyle Heights and East LA across all platforms to inform, connect and uplift our community. I spend my days listening, planning, editing and coordinating to make sure our stories reflect the community fairly, while supporting and mentoring my team of reporters and freelancers so they can grow along the way.
Why LA?: It’s home. It’s the sounds of Spanglish and other languages, the smell of tacos and kimchi, the way street art tells stories and how, even though I hate traffic, I love how the freeways can take me to the beach or the mountains on a whim.
The best way to contact me: My email is jessica.perez@boyleheightsbeat.org.
