Brianne Altice wants to see good come out of her bad situation.
The former Davis High School English teacher pleaded guilty last month to having sexual contact with three male students. With her sentencing date approaching — July 9 — Altice made her case in a letter to 2nd District Judge Thomas Kay.
"I will forever be sorry for my actions, and the loss it has caused on all sides," she wrote. "I'd like to show my children that through this struggle, Mom may have fallen, but she got up, learned from it, and created something helpful and positive from it. I will be making changes to help prevent this from happening to others."
In the letter, Altice describes working on potential legislation to improve school districts' communication technology between teachers and students, such as combining texting and e-mail so that they are directly connected to the district's system.
"I believe that is where problems can begin and escalate," she wrote. "I'd like to be an advocate, resource and help the prevention of future situations as this."
A lawsuit against the school district claims the students at times skipped other classes to spend entire school days in Altice's classroom, texted her and made sexual comments to her. Altice, in turn, confided in the boys about her marital problems, the lawsuit claims. Eventually, she began seeing them after school and having sex with them, according to the complaint.
The former teacher admitted in plea agreement documents that she touched the genitals of three individuals from January to September 2013. Each of the three teen boys testified at separate preliminary hearings that they had sexual intercourse with Altice.
"The guilt and sorrow I felt for everyone was intense," Altice wrote in her letter. "I needed to be accountable."
She acknowledged that her teaching career is over, "which breaks my heart," she wrote.
Altice faces a possible one- to 15-year prison term for each of her three second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse charges. Deputy Davis County Attorney Susan Hunt told the judge that prosecutors will likely ask for a prison sentence.
But Altice asked Kay that if she serves more time, that it be in jail, not prison.
"I am harmless, I'm not a threat, I'm not violent, I have no criminal history, I do not use drugs," she wrote. "I have a home and a job that I'd like to keep, and I'd love to continue being the active mother I have always been and my children need."
Altice is being held in the Davis County Jail. Her attorney, Ed Brass, had asked last month that she be released before her sentencing date, but Kay denied the request.
mmcfall@sltrib.com
Twitter: @MikeyPanda
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Retired Davis High School principal Dee Burton (above) testified in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday January 15, 2015 that he told former English teacher Brianne Altice that it was "inappropriate for a teacher to be in a one-on-one relationship outside of school. It's unethical." Brianne Altice, 35, is now facing 10 felony counts for alleged sexual relationships with three teens: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with allegedly having sex with the three male students.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice listens to the testimony of a teenager who gave details about his sexual relationship when he was 17-years old with Altice, his former Davis High School teacher during a preliminary hearing in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday January 15, 2015. According to charging documents, Altice allegedly had sexual contact with the 17-year-old boy between August and September of last year. Brianne Altice, was taken into custody and is headed to trial with 10 felony counts for alleged sexual relationships with three teens: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with allegedly having sex with the three male students.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice heads into the courtroom for a preliminary hearing in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday January 15, 2015. Altice, was taken into custody and is headed to trial with 10 felony counts for alleged sexual relationships with three teens: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with allegedly having sex with the three male students.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice heads into the courtroom with her attorney Ed Brass for a preliminary hearing in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday January 15, 2015. Altice, was taken into custody and is headed to trial with 10 felony counts for alleged sexual relationships with three teens: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with allegedly having sex with the three male students.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune "She doesn't present a danger to anyone," said Ed Brass of his client Brianne Altice, hoping to keep her out of jail on bail during her preliminary hearing in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday January 15, 2015. Altice was taken into custody and is headed to trial with 10 felony counts for alleged sexual relationships with three teens: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with allegedly having sex with the three male students.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Prosecuting attorney Susan Hunt (top)confers with her co-counsel during Brianne Altice's preliminary hearing in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday January 15, 2015. Altice was taken into custody and is headed to trial with 10 felony counts for alleged sexual relationships with three teens: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with allegedly having sex with the three male students.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune l-r Defense attorney Ed Brass and prosecuting attorney Susan Hunt during Brianne Altice's preliminary hearing in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday January 15, 2015. Altice was taken into custody and is headed to trial with 10 felony counts for alleged sexual relationships with three teens: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with allegedly having sex with the three male students.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianne Altice, 35, was taken into custody and ordered to stand trial in 2nd District Court after Judge John R. Morris (above) refused to set bail, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Davis County Attorney's Office investigator Brett Baggs is testifies in Judge John R. Morris' 2nd District Court, Thursday, January 15, 2015. Brianne Altice, is facing a total of 14 felony charges for allegedly having sexual relationships with three male students: five counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, along with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing harmful material to a minor, all third-degree felonies.