HARPER WOODS (WWJ) - A now-former Detroit-area teacher is facing a felony charge for something he said to a student.

According to Harper Woods police, 41-year-old Charles Penn was working as an Economics teacher at the Harper Woods High School on June 11 of this year when he committed the alleged crime.

At that time, police said, a 15-year-old student asked Penn what extra work she could do to raise her Economics grade.

Penn allegedly responded by telling the teen he would raise her grade if she performed sex acts on him -- a statement that was overheard by another female student who corroborated what had occurred, police said.

Penn, a Southfield resident, has since "separated his employment with the Harper Woods School District," police said.

Following an investigation, he was arrested on a charge of Children - Accosting for Immoral Purposes.

At an arraignment in 32-A District Court Thursday, Judge Russell Ethridge set a personal bond at $50,000, with conditions, and scheduled a preliminary examination in the case for Jan. 2, 2019.

He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.