Special education teacher who pleaded guilty to sleeping with her 14-year-old student blames daily heroin habit for her behavior

The Daily Mail reports:

A special education teacher who pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with her 14-year-old student appeared in court and blamed her actions on a drug habit.

Stephanie Amato, 33, who taught at the Ethan Allen Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to serve 11.5 to 23 months in county prison on Tuesday and ordered to register as a convicted sex offender,Philly.com reported.

Amato, the mother of a seven-month-old son, started using prescription opiods before started snorting heroin every day, her attorney said in court.

The 33-year-old apologized to both her family and the student, saying: 'I truly feel that I do not believe this would have occurred if it were not for drugs.'

Could you imagine a male teacher getting off this easy???