A celebrated ‘Teacher of the Year’ at a Louisiana middle school has been arrested on felony child sex charges.

Christie Elizabeth Dunbar Oster, 38, an eighth-grade math teacher, was taken into custody and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. 

She was charged with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with juveniles. She remains behind bars on a $50,000 bond, according to Lafayette Parish jail records.

Oster had been working at Broussard Middle School, where she was named the school’s 2025–26 Teacher of the Year just months ago, in September. 

But that same teacher once publicly celebrated by colleagues is now at the center of a criminal investigation involving alleged sexual misconduct with a former student.

Lafayette Police have not released details about the alleged inappropriate relationship, the victim or the timeline of the alleged abuse, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

A spokesperson for the Lafayette Parish School System confirmed Oster has been placed on administrative leave.

The arrest sparked immediate backlash from parents and neighbors in Broussard, a small community just outside Lafayette.

Christie Oster was named Broussard Middle School’s Teacher of the Year in September — just months before her arrest

Oster, who had been working as an eighth-grade math teacher at Broussard Middle School, has been placed on administrative leave by the Lafayette Parish School System

Neighbor and child advocate Rebekah Vallot said she was sickened by yet another abuse case involving schools.

‘My initial reaction is anger and frustration. I’m tired of opening the news and reading about professions taking advantage of our children,’ Vallot said to KATC. 

She downplayed any attempts to soften the allegations by using the word ‘former.’ 

‘You put the word “former” in front of a student and it still is a student. Former, current, future – it doesn’t matter, it’s wrong,’ Vallot said.

She called for increased security and surveillance inside schools.

‘It is far beyond time. We have the technology to do so, we have the funding to do so – the cameras need to go in now,’ she said.

‘The best advice I can give parents is you are the number one advocate for your child. No one else will do that for you.’ 

Adding to the controversy was a Facebook post from Kay Miller Broussard, identified as the wife of the school’s principal, who appeared to downplay the broader implications of the scandal suggesting the victim had some agency in what occurred.

The 38-year-old eighth-grade math teacher is charged with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with juveniles

Police say Oster, pictured, allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a former student.

‘Adults do things that are wrong, stupid, sickening, etc. those things have NO reflection on their peers or higher ups, those are choices made and hidden by one Individual!’ she wrote in the post which has since been removed. 

‘What we can do is pray, pray for the victims (consenting or not), pray for the families affected, pray for the staff and students affected.’ 

The post angered parents and advocates, who said the statement appeared to blur the reality that minors cannot legally consent to sexual relationships with adults. 

Parents have demanded to know how the teacher could have risen to such prominence without warning signs. 

Lafayette Police say the case remains open and active. Officials have not confirmed whether additional victims have come forward. 

Broussard Middle School went from honoring its top teacher to the center of a criminal investigation

Neighbor and child advocate Rebekah Vallot said she was sickened by yet another abuse case involving schools

Under Louisiana law, carnal knowledge of a juvenile occurs when a person over 17 has sexual intercourse with someone between 13 and 17 years old, with an age difference of more than four years. 

The offense carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Indecent behavior with juveniles can include lewd acts performed in front of a minor, sexually explicit messages or images, or grooming behavior toward a child under 17. 

A conviction can result in up to seven years in prison and another $5,000 fine.