Teaching is definitely not an easy job. Not only are teachers expected to quickly deliver engaging and informative lesson plans, they’re also responsible for a wide range of students, including problem children whose issues clearly relate to larger problems at home. So when a 7-year-old girl turned up for class in high heels, her teacher instantly knew that something was amiss.

Because the child frequently arrived to class in filthy clothes, the educator was prepared with clean clothes and a spare cot for napping. On this particular day, however, the teacher was alarmed to see that her student was changing out of her clothes while wearing bloody underwear. The alarmed educator immediately reported this evidence to the police, only to become enraged when officers labeled it inadmissible and then threw it away.

“I was very angry,” the teacher recalled. “I was going to get into the dumpster and pull them out because that’s not acceptable.” She was being let down by the system. I’m sure it was. Because I called and called and called. And I completed all of the requirements for my training. I called the CYFD [Children, Youth, and Families Department] because she was hungry, dirty, and in need of physical care.

Then I called the cops every time she said she was breaking the law.” The administrator publicized the officers’ failure to perform their duties on Facebook, but this did not prevent the student from being sexually assaulted two weeks later. This time, the school nurse called the cops, sparking an investigation that led to the arrest of this young student’s parents, James Stewart and Teri Sanchez.

According to court documents, the pair had forced their daughter into prostitutio—n to keep themselves flush with money. We’re so grateful for these astute teachers, who articulated their suspicions to the police, held officers to account, and stepped up where her parents clearly had failed. We only hope this young student’s next family will set a better example!