The parents of the boy who was allegedly sexually abused by his teacher called her a “monster” who used their son “for her own grotesque benefits,” reports CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO. The boy’s father and stepmother spoke out about the arrest of Brittany Zamora, 27, who was a sixth-grade teacher at Las Brisas Academy in Arizona and is accused of sexually molesting the boy.

Police say a parent found text messages between Zamora and the male student, indicating sexual activity both on and off campus.

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“He said that it started in a classroom chat group where she would talk to him, and then flirted with him, and it just progressed from there,” said the boy’s stepmom.

“He told us they kissed and had sex,” said the boy’s father.

“He was taken advantage of,” said the boy’s stepmom.

The couple asked the station to alter their voices and not show their faces.

“You teach your kids there’s no such thing as monsters at all,” said the father. “But in the real world, there are monsters. Brittany Zamora is a monster.”

The couple also accused the administration at Las Brisas Academy of ignoring alleged warning signs and now trying to cover it up.

“A big thing for us is that we want people to understand, just because it’s a boy makes no difference,” the boy’s father said. “It’s the same. It’s a 13-year-old child who got taken advantage by a monster.”

“He’s started to express different emotions. He’s sad, and slept all day,” said the victim’s stepmother. “It’s starting to hit him, the reality of what actually happened.”

Article from CBSNews.com