A Nebraska school teacher was sentenced on Monday to 90 days in jail. Twenty-seven-year-old Emily Lofing was first charged in February when police discovered the sick “birthday gift” she gave one of her 16-year-old students.

Lofing was initially charged with debauching a minor in February, which is a misdemeanor, after she had sex with one of her 16-year-old students on his birthday. However, the charge was later changed to contributing to the delinquency of a child, due to the boy being over the age of consent.

The misconduct was uncovered earlier this year after the mother of the 16-year-old boy sent an email to authorities outlining how she feared the teacher – who got married in June 2014 – was sleeping with her son, who studied at Weeping Water district school. Lofing had taught in the district before she moved to Nebraska City in 2016. [Source: Daily Mail]

“This alleged indiscretion, I’ll say, took place on the victim’s 16th birthday,” said Otoe County Court Judge John Steinheider as he handed down his sentence on Monday. “You were less than 24 hours from a felony here,” added the judge, referencing the consent law.

“On or between the 7th day of July, 2016, and the 15th day of July, 2016, [Lofing] debauched or depraved the morals of [the student]… a boy under the age of seventeen years by arranging or aiding or assisting in arranging any meeting between the boy… for the purpose of sexual penetration,” stated court records.

When the case was made public, Lofing resigned from her job as a language arts teacher at Nebraska City Middle School. Last February the Otoe County attorney filed a misdemeanor charge against her for debauching a minor. Lofing could have had a maximum sentence of one year in jail but with good behavior she could be out in 53 days. Lofing immediately surrendered to Otoe County Sheriff’s deputies, so her jail time has already started. [Source: WOWT]

With good behavior, Lofing could be released from jail in less than 2 months, which barely seems like any punishment at all. Indeed, her time behind bars could end up feeling more like a vacation with such little time served. This will likely do little to deter her from offending again in the future, especially because sex offenders have been known to repeat their crimes once they are released from jail.

Meanwhile, the teenage boy who Lofing victimized will likely struggle to maintain normal relationships for the rest of his life. It certainly doesn’t seem fair that someone in a position of authority was able to use it to gain a child’s trust and, ultimately, steal his innocence. That should come with a penalty much steeper than a few weeks behind bars.