TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County middle school teacher has been arrested for establishing a romantic relationship with a student, deputies say.
Jason Osborne, 40, a teacher at Ferrell Middle Magnet School, privately communicated with a 14-year-old student through a social media app, according to the sheriff's office. Osborne teaches 7th and 8th-grade science, according to the school's website.
Deputies say he established a romantic relationship with the victim and met with her on one occasion.
On Wednesday, detectives made contact with Osborne. He was arrested and charged with a felony for offenses against students by authority figures.
ABC Action News reached out to the Hillsborough County School District who released the following statement:
We are deeply disheartened and shocked by these charges. He has been pulled from the school and will not be returning to any of our schools while the Sheriff's Office investigates.
He has been with the district since 2015.
Osborne was released from jail after posting his $17,000 bond.
