This article lists the teachers in recent times who have sexually assaulted their students. I was shocked at how long the list is.
What causes this sort of behavior? Some of these women were quite good looking, so it's not like they had a hard time meeting men, unless there was something about their character that drove them away. Why did they get involved with their male (in some cases, female) students?
I think it's probably caused, in part, by a general lack of morality in the country. People seek bigger and bigger thrills. Since there is a greater taboo about sex with minors (and rightfully so), certain people who are seeking an even greater thrill will look in that direction.
Also, I feel that it's unfortunate that the media is sensationalizing these cases, especially when a pretty teacher is involved. I have heard comments to the effect of "I wish I had had a teacher like that" more than I care to count. I think an unfortunate side effect of the large number of teacher/student sex cases is that it is slowly removing the taboo from adult/teen sex. Everyone thinks it's creepy when a male teacher has sex with a female student (and it is very, very creepy). But, unfortunately, people are excited about female teacher/male (or female) student sex.
I don't think that says a lot of good about our society.