Child Sexual Abuse and Misconduct

Seminole County authorities have arrested 49‑year‑old economics teacher Mackenzie McLean of Crooms Academy of Information Technology in Sanford, Florida, on two counts of sex offense by an authority figure and one count of distribution of a controlled substance. According to an arrest affidavit, a male senior who was friends with McLean’s daughter moved into her home around March 2024 after being kicked out of his own home, and alleges McLean sexually abused him approximately five to ten times over about two months while she was still his teacher, including after giving him 12 shots of gin during a gaming session and sending her daughter out of the room. The student told detectives he tried to stop the first encounter and later allowed the abuse to continue because he feared losing housing and food, and investigators say he became visibly emotional and cried while recounting the events. A teen girl who sometimes stayed at the home told police McLean supplied her with alcohol and Adderall and that she saw McLean invite the boy to sleep in her bed; text messages cited in the affidavit show McLean acknowledging that the relationship was wrong while claiming the student initiated contact. Seminole County Public Schools says McLean, a nearly 25‑year district veteran, has been placed on administrative leave and vowed that any staff misconduct would be handled swiftly, stressing that student safety is the district’s top priority. McLean is being held on $35,000 bond with a court appearance set for March 31, as the case adds to broader concerns nationwide about sexual abuse and boundary violations by K‑12 staff in positions of authority over vulnerable students.