A South Baldwin Center for Technology teacher was charged with harassment after allegedly touching a student inappropriately.

Verna Joy Bennett, 49, of Mobile turned herself in to the Robertsdale Police Department Monday.

The school’s Web site says Bennett was a cosmetology teacher at the school, SBCT has about 225 students.

According to RPD spokesman Sgt. Rex Bishop, “On March 4, 2009 the Robertsdale Police Department took a report from a parent of a child that attends the South Baldwin School for Technology in Robertsdale. The report was that the child had been inappropriately touched by a teacher.”

The department investigated, Bishop said, and determined the the victim, a 15-year-old student, had been grabbed on the buttock.

According to Bishop, the “Robertsdale Police investigated and determined that the alleged crime falls under the statute of Harassment. Harassment is a class C misdemeanor.”

According to Bishop, a “Class C” misdemeanor can be punished with up to 90-days in jail and a fine is possible.

After the police investigation, the mother of the student then went before a magistrate and filed a harassment complaint.

According to Terry Wilhite, a spokesperson for the Baldwin County Public Schools, Bennett was, “employed with Baldwin County Public Schools Aug. 6, 2008 as a cosmetology teacher. She was employed on October 2, 2007 as a bus driver; she resigned the bus driving job when she took the teaching position.”

Wilhite added that, “no other documented complaints” have been lodged against Bennett. Like all other school system employees, underwent a background check.

Bennett posted a $500 cash bond and was released March 9. The case is scheduled to be heard March 25 in Robertsdale Municipal Court.

As of now, Bennett is on paid administrative leave form the Baldwin County Public School System.