Florida teacher charged with felonies after admitting to years of inappropriate communications with former student

The unlawful use of a two-way communications device sits at the base of Florida's digital-conduct statutes as a third-degree felony. The charge captures the electronic channel itself as the instrument of harm, before prosecutors address what traveled through it. That statutory floor is where the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office built its three-count case against Christian Schneider, 31, a teacher at Memorial Middle School, after detectives say he acknowledged communicating inappropriately with a former teenage student at Franklin Middle School since 2023.

Booking records from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office list two counts of solicitation or possession of child sexual abuse material, both classified as second-degree felonies, alongside the third-degree felony communications count. The offense date recorded for each of the three charges is July 3. Detectives formally opened the criminal investigation on July 28, and the arrest came shortly after noon the following Friday.

Each charge carried a $2,500 surety bond, putting the combined total at $7,500. Schneider was booked that Friday afternoon and released on surety bond at 2:38 a.m. Saturday.

The sheriff's office identified the alleged victim as a former student of Schneider's at Franklin Middle School, a separate campus from Memorial Middle School where he currently teaches. The agency has not disclosed the student's exact age or how investigators first learned of the communications. Further details about the messages, Schneider's connection to Franklin Middle School, and when he taught there also remain unaddressed in public statements.

Sheriff Chad Chronister said teachers hold a position of trust that carries enormous responsibility, and that exploiting it is a crime that violates everything schools are meant to stand for. He said anyone who abuses their position with a child will be held accountable.

The investigation remains active. Fox News Digital contacted the Hillsborough County school district for information about Schneider's employment status; no response had been reported at the time of publication.