A former middle-school English teacher who was impregnated by a 13-year-old student has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to having a long-term sexual relationship with a child.

Alexandria Vera, 25, from Texas, was arrested in June and initially charged with continuous sexual assault of a child, which carries a maximum of life imprisonment, the Washington Post reports. Her sentence was capped at 30 years after she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Vera, who taught at Stovall Middle School in Houston, said she met the boy during summer school and romance blossomed after they began messaging on Instagram. According to prosecutors and the WP, the pair had sex almost every day for nine months.

The court learned that Vera paid cell phone bills and bought groceries for the family, as well as attended holiday events with them as the boy’s girlfriend. Prosecutors also said that she let two eighth graders have sex at her home, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The State District Judge said during Vera’s sentencing hearing that he does not believe the 25-year-old is a classic pedophile or a danger to other children, but that he needed to send a message to the community.

[Washington Post]

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Write to Kate Samuelson at kate.samuelson@time.com.