Florida teacher accused of grooming homeless student who saw her as 'mother figure'
· Toronto Sun
A homeless high-schooler in Florida claims he endured sexual assaults by a teacher for months so he would have a place to live.
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Mackenzie McLean, 49, was arrested on Tuesday under suspicion of sexual misconduct with a student, and delivery/distribution of a controlled substance.
The student told investigators with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office that he moved into McLean’s residence in March 2024 after being kicked out of his own home, and viewed her as a “mother figure,” WOFL reported.
Her daughter about his age
He claimed the sexual assaults began “shortly after” went on for months, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by People .
The teen, who was 18 at the time of the two alleged charged offences, told detectives that the first incident happened while he, McLean and her daughter — who is about his age — were playing a video game.
McLean allegedly gave the student “approximately 12 shots of gin,” causing him to become “severely intoxicated,” according to his statement.
The woman then instructed her daughter to leave the bedroom before she sexually assaulted him.
The teen described another incident in which McLean’s daughter was in the room.
Daughter became suspicious
The daughter eventually grew suspicious and asked what was happening, at which point the boy said he “pulled down the covers to expose Mackenzie McLean’s head,” the affidavit states.
The teen told detectives he lived with McLean for nine months, including the final two months of his senior year, when they slept in the same bed as her and she also drove them to school every day.
He estimated that he was abused “approximately five to ten times” in the two months that she was still his teacher, according to the affidavit.
When asked why he allowed the alleged abuse to continue, the alleged victim told detectives that “he felt compelled to do it or he would no longer have a place to live or food to eat.”
The second-degree felony charge McLean faces prohibits an “authority figure” from soliciting or engaging in “sexual conduct” with a student, regardless of age.
Other accusations against teacher
McLean, who was the boy’s economics teacher at Crooms Academy of Information Technology in Sanford, near Orlando, was also accused of giving the teen Adderall, resulting in the distribution charge.
Another student told deputies that she went over to McLean’s house when she was 16, and the teacher offered her alcohol and weed gummies, according to WOFL .
A spokesperson for Seminole County Public Schools told People that McLean is on administrative leave.
She remains in custody and her next court appearance is set for March 31.