(June 2, 2006)--A 25-year-old, first-year teacher and former beauty queen faces criminal charges accusing her of having sex with an 18-year-old student.

Amy McElhenney represented Bexar County in the 2002 Miss Texas pageant and was a Spanish teacher and cross-country coach at Hebron High School in suburban North Dallas.

She's charged with having an improper relationship with a student.

The second-degree felony is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

At 18, the Hebron student is one year past the age of consent in Texas.

But McElhenney was charged under a law banning sexual relationships between educators and students, even if the relationship is consensual and the student is of legal age.

Police learned of the allegations against McElhenney when another student sent an anonymous note last month to a resource officer.

The note indicated McElhenney's cell phone had personal text messages to and from the 18-year-old.

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