Former English teacher Rebecca Carol Swinson, 39 (pictured), of Winston Salem, North Carolina pleaded guilty in Forsyth Superior Court to three charges of sex acts with one student and 16 counts total of taking indecent liberties with the two students who were both 17 at the time

A North Carolina teacher has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two male students who were 17 at the time by performing oral sex on both and having sex with one of them during the Fall of 2017.

Rebecca Carol Swinson, 39, of Winston Salem pleaded guilty in Forsyth Superior Court to three charges of sex acts with one student and 16 counts total of taking indecent liberties with the two students who were both 17 at the time.

The interactions started over an app used by teachers to message students about assignments, moved to cell phone, then to Snapchat, and resulted in the physical interactions in her classroom.

Forsyth pleaded guilty on December 19 to all of the initial charges she faced, and has been sentenced to six months in jail.

Upon her release, she'll be required to register as a sex offender for the next 30 years, and be subject to a supervised probation for three years and six months.

She also has a suspended sentence of a minimum of three years and three months to a maximum of six years and three months hanging over her head, which would become active should Swinson violate her probation or otherwise break the law.

Swinson apologized for her actions in court last week, while her attorney, James Quander, said she's not a predator, and that the male students pursued her.

'She’s an exceptional woman who should not be lost because she made an exceptional mistake,' Quander said.

All the incidents giving rise to Swinson's convictions took place in her classroom on the campus of East Forsyth High School (pictured) in Kernersville during the Fall of 2017

Principal Rodney Bass told police that a female student approached another teacher at the school and told her that a male friend of hers had said he had an inappropriate relationship with Swinson (pictured)

All the incidents giving rise to Swinson's convictions took place on the campus of East Forsyth High School in Kernersville.

Swinson, who was also a cross-country track coach and is a part-time personal trainer, was fired by the Winston Salem/Forsyth County School District on August 2.

East Forsyth High School principal Rodney Bass reported what were then allegations against Swinson to Kernersville Police Department in July, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.

Bass told police that a female student approached another teacher at the school and told her that a male friend of hers had said he had an inappropriate relationship with Swinson.

Authorities initially contacted that male student's parents before conducting a formal interview with the student, Assistant District Attorney Kia Chavious said.

They later talked to Swinson, who admitted to that sexual relationship and mentioned the second sexual relationship with another male student at the school.

In court, it came out that Swinson began communication with the two students in the Fall of 2017 over a phone app used at the school district to allow teachers to post assignments and students to ask questions.

After exchanging personal cell phone numbers, the teacher and students then began communication over Snapchat, an application that allows users to send photos, videos and messages that disappear after they're seen, unless saved in the app or screen-shotted on the device.

Swinson admitted to that sexual relationship and mentioned the second sexual relationship with another male student at the school. Swinson was suspended from her teaching and coaching duties at East Forsyth High at the outset of the police investigation which began on July 30, and she was fired on August 2

Swinson first sent photos of her face at the students' request, the teacher said.

Then it progressed to photos of her nearly undressed, and then sexually explicit pictures and videos, Chavious said.

Eventually, Swinson said one of the students touched her leg during class which sent her into a 'whirlwind of emotion.'

That day, Swinson and the student kissed after class and she performed oral sex on him. Swinson told investigators she asked the student following the encounter if he was OK, he said no and told her that he had told his ex-girlfriend what had happened.

Then in December 2017, according to Swinson, she kissed the second male student in her classroom, performed oral sex on him and the two briefly had sex, Chavious said.

Court documents revealed that the two students were able to identify tattoos on Swinson’s body which they could have only have seen if the teacher were nearly, if not completely, naked.

Even though the age of consent in North Carolina is 16, Swinson still committed crimes based on her position of power over the students.

On the same day that Swinson pleaded guilty to her charges, East Forsyth High School volunteer Jennifer Ann Pike, 44 (pictured), also pleaded guilty to charges associated with allegations that she had sex with a male student

On the same day that Swinson pleaded guilty to her charges, East Forsyth High School volunteer Jennifer Ann Pike, 44, also pleaded guilty to charges associated with allegations that she had sex with a male student.

Pike is said to have admitted having sex with a student to the boy's mother, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

Pike did not receive any jail time based on her pleading guilty to counts of crimes against nature, but she does have a suspended sentence of six to 17 months, will be on supervised probation for three years, cannot go on any property belonging to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system and must complete 100 hours of community service.

Pike was being investigated for the allegations against her while Swinson was engaging in sexual acts with her students. The investigation was well-known within the community, Chavious said, so Swinson should have known that her actions were criminal.

Swinson was suspended from her teaching and coaching duties at East Forsyth High at the outset of the police investigation which began on July 30, the school district said, and she was fired days later.

Swinson had been teaching English at East Forsyth High since 2007. She was listed as the head of the English department before the school removed her profile from its website.

She had been working for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools since 2002, according to her LinkedIn page.