Under state law, grooming refers to using computers or other online devices to solicit a minor. It is a class 4 felony.



According to court records, Zavala was a teacher at UNO Soccer Academy, 5050 S. Homan Ave., where the incidents occurred. The school is in the Chicago Public Schools district but is privately run by the UNO Charter School Network.



Prosecutors said that from fall 2012 until 2014, the boy was a student at the school where Zavala worked as a teacher.



From fall 2012 until spring 2013, Zavala, who was 40 at the time, was the seventh-grade teacher for the boy, who was 12 years old, prosecutors said.



While Zavala was the boy's teacher, she became very involved in his life and bought him clothes, took him on family trips and paid for the boy's cellphone plan, prosecutors said.



Prosecutors said that in 2013, witnesses began to notice "strange behavior" between the boy and the teacher. In particular, they spent a lot of time alone, and when they were together they often held hands and hugged, prosecutors said.



Zavala would pick up the boy from the school, but he would not get to his home until hours later, prosecutors said. The woman "constantly" texted and spoke with the boy on the phone, and the boy called her, "Baby."



The behavior continued through 2015 even though the boy was no longer at the school.



In January 2015, someone opened the boy's phone and went through his photo album and text messages. In his contacts, the boy had labeled the woman as "My Baby Queen." The boy had inappropriate videos and pictures of the woman that she had allegedly sent him.



Her attorney, Jose Zamora, said she's lived in Orland Park for nine years, has a master's degree in education, volunteers at her church and teaches English as a second language classes every Sunday. She has two children.



"We believe many of these allegations are not correct," Zamora said.