A former Pinson Valley High School teacher was placed on probation after pleading guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of having sexual contact with a student under the age of 19.

Jennifer Marie Perry, 27, of Odenville, was sentenced by Jefferson County District Court Judge Katrina Ross to six months in jail. But the judge suspended the sentence and placed her on unsupervised probation for a year.

Perry had faced a felony charge of having sexual contact with a student but that was reduced down to a misdemeanor under a plea deal with prosecutors.

Perry, who had already given up her teaching license, also was ordered by Ross to pay a $250 fine plus court costs. Perry also will have to register as a sex offender.

"Ms. Perry is relieved to now be able to move forward with her life rather than risk the uncertain possibility of a felony and its consequences," Perry's attorney, Richard Jaffe, said. "The Alabama sexual registration laws are draconian and need to be changed to fit the facts and the individuals. Hopefully the legislature will take the appropriate action to do that."

"One size does not fit all," Jaffe added.

Perry had been arrested by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in March and charged with having sexual contact with a 17-year-old student at Pinson Valley High School.

Investigators had launched an investigation of Perry after being contacted by school administrators. Perry had gone to school officials and reported that students told her there was a rumor going around at school that she had engaged in a sex act with student.

She denied any involvement with the student and resigned. The teacher and the student met a few miles away from campus in a parking lot and engaged in a consensual sex act inside a vehicle on Feb. 8, according to the sheriff's office and court records.

The student was not in any of Perry's classes, Jefferson County Chief Deputy Randy Christian said at the time of Perry's arrest.

Perry, who is married, graduated from Jacksonville State University in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education with a concentration in English Language Arts. She taught freshman English at Pinson Valley High School, and was the cheerleading sponsor.