FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A 34-year-old Fairbanks teacher was arraigned Tuesday on seven counts of felony sexual abuse of a minor, based on allegations that he repeatedly molested a male student.

The student came forward last week and told authorities that Hutchison High School correspondence teacher Claude Fowlkes III sexually abused him on five occasions, beginning in January, according to SFGate.com. The student said Fowlkes gave him Amazon gift cards after the incidents.

The teacher has denied the allegations, and said he gave the gift cards as rewards for good grades, according to the news report.