A former Marshall High School teacher and cheer coach will spend 180 days in the Upshur County Jail and serve 10 years of probation after she pleaded guilty to a charge of improper relationship between educator and student.
Margaret Claire Burris, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday in Upshur County's 115th Judicial Court to having sexual intercourse with a student in February 2024, as reported by the Marshall News Messenger.
Burris' charge was a second-degree felony with a punishment range of two to 20 years in prison and a possible fine up to $10,000. As a condition of probation, she has to pay a $2,000 fine and surrender her teaching license, which her attorney said she already has.
Additionally, per the plea agreement, Burris will not have to register as a sex offender.
However, the agreement, approved by visiting Judge Rebecca Simpson, orders Burris to stay away from any children younger than 17 unless an adult is present or unless they are her siblings or close relatives. She was also ordered to have no contact with the victim or his family.
Burris was accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with a person enrolled at Marshall ISD on or about Feb. 8, 2024. She was arrested on Feb. 17, 2024, after the discovery of sexually explicit text messages and photos to a 16-year-old male student, the Marshall Police Department previously reported.
Evidence gathered through forensic examination of the cell phone resulted in Marshall PD investigators obtaining an arrest warrant for Burris. Burris resigned from the district in April 2024.
Marshall ISD board President Brad Burris, who reported the allegations to the district, is Burris' former father-in-law. "We are deeply thankful to our friends, family and community for the prayers, support and encouragement extended to our family – especially to our son," Brad Burris and his wife, Nicki, said in a statement after Thursday's sentencing hearing. "We are grateful that justice was served and trust that, moving forward, the Lord redeems even the hardest circumstances."
