PERTH AMBOY, N.J. – An outraged mother wants the vice principals at Perth Amboy High School in New Jersey fired for their support of a substitute teacher who allegedly had sex with her 16-year-old daughter.

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NBC New York reports Anthony Morales, 31, was arrested last year for statutory rape. He’d allegedly had a 16-month-long sexual relationship with the student. He was 28 at the time, she was 16.

Despite the circumstances, Perth Amboy vice principals Sylvia Leon and Anita Dowd wrote letters of support and submitted them to the court.  Written on school letterhead were statements that Morales “demonstrated a high degree of loyalty and trustworthiness to his students.” Another was that he was “a pillar of strength for students.”

The two supporters were asking the court to give Morales leniency. In all, there were 20 letters submitted to Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Michael Toto saying much the same thing.

Is this further evidence of a trend among educators who circle the wagons to defend fellow teachers who are accused of sexual misconduct?

In Michigan, EAG reported teacher Neal Erickson last year pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual misconduct with a young, male student. During the court proceedings, Judge Michael Bumgartner was showered with letters of praise from teachers Erickson worked alongside. A number of those supporters, and a member of the school board, sat on the side of the courtroom with other Erickson supporters and family members.

“Neal made a mistake,” one teacher wrote. “He allowed a mutual friendship to develop into much more.”

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“I am asking that Neal be given the absolute minimum sentence,” wrote Amy Huber Eagan, a teacher and the wife of the board member who demonstrated his support for Erickson.

John and Lori Janczewski, the parents of the young victim, were devastated. They were jeered, criticized and threatened. After the sentencing, their garage was set on fire. Fortunately they were not harmed.

And fortunately Judge Bumgartner was not persuaded by the outpouring of support. He stated he was “appalled and ashamed that the community could rally around, in this case, you.” He handed Erickson a 15-30 year sentence.

However, judges in other cases seem to be showing leniency toward teachers caught in sexual misconduct. In a separate New Jersey case involving a 43-year-old female teacher who had been having sex with a 7th grader, Superior Court Judge Bruce A. Gaeta stated during sentencing, “I really don’t see the harm that was done here.” In a Kansas case, U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten stated, “Where is the clear, credible evidence that underage sex is always injurious?”

So now we have the Morales case in New Jersey. The prosecutor cut a deal, allowing Morales to plead down from the charge of sexual assault to the lesser charge of child endangerment.

Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Michael Todd said he was persuaded by the letters of support. He sentenced the accused to three years, a flat sentence, which means Morales will be eligible for parole in just nine months.

Oh, and his mother says he’s already got a job waiting for him when he gets out. She didn’t say if he would still be teaching.

Acting Perth Amboy Superintendent Vivian Rodriguez said she conducted an investigation into the matter of the two vice principals writing letters of support and determined the one written by Dowd was improper. The other, written by Leon, was considered an “employment reference” not intended for the court.

Rodriguez refused to say if there had been any disciplinary action taken against Leon and Dowd. As far as can be determined, they’re still working for the district.

After the sentencing, NBC New York reported Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey expressed his outrage in an email. “For a vice principal to officially state on Perth Amboy High School letterhead that a teacher who had sex multiple times with a student over a period of months has excellent moral values is deeply disturbing.”

A school board member is equally angry.

“It’s as if the school district co-signed this teacher’s behavior by writing these letters,” board member William Ortiz tells NBC New York.

“You don’t take the side of a child predator in a case like this,” he added.

The victim is now attending college.