TULARE, California – Former Tulare Western High School teacher Elizabeth Stow won’t go to prison unless she breaks a tightly-constructed, 29-condition probation term of five years. She will, though, have to serve 364 days in jail, perform community service and pay restitution fines.

Stow, 26, of Visalia was sentenced Friday after accepting a sentence offer from Tulare County Superior Court Judge Walter Gorelick and pleading no contest to a dozen counts of sex-related felony charges stemming from having sex with three underage students. “You were the adult. You were the teacher. You were the role model,” Gorelick said during the lengthy sentencing hearing. “You let us down.”

Stow, a former English and reading teacher, was also sentenced to a suspended prison term of nine years, four months. If Stow breaks her probation, she will go to prison, Gorelick said.

David Allen, Stow’s attorney, said he was happy with the sentence given.

“She held a position of trust. She violated that. I won’t sugar coat that,” he said after the hearing. “But it would have been a shame if she was sentenced to prison.”

Prosecutor Sara Bratsch disagreed.

“It sends a horrible message,” she said. “It chips away at the security of schools.”

Because she entered a plea to charges of oral copulation, Stow will also have to register as a sex offender. However, because a ruling in a California superior court case is pending regarding registering as a sex offender, Allen told Gorelick he was going to appeal the order.

Gorelick acknowledged Allen’s intention, but still ordered Stow to register.

During the sentencing hearing, Gorelick, who said he read letters turned in on behalf of Stow, told the former teacher she had “great potential as a teacher.” But as part of her probation, Stow will have to give up her teaching credential and not apply for teaching jobs involving minors.

“That’s the worst punishment you could give yourself,” Gorelick said.

Stow wiped away tears as Gorelick spoke.

Also as part of the probation, Stow was ordered to read a victim’s letter Gorelick turned in to the court. The victim’s family members also wrote a letter that was sent to Gorelick.

“Those are very powerful,” Bratsch said. “Those are very moving. It took me aback for a moment.”

In the letter, Bratsch said, the victim wrote Stow betrayed him and also caused him to be strained from who had been his lifelong, best friend, the second juvenile the former teacher had sex with.

In other important probation terms, she is ordered to:

Not have unsupervised, intentional contact with children under 18.

Not have contact with any of the victims.

Stay away from the schools the victims attend or the home they live at.

Complete a six-month outpatient counseling program.

Seek placement in a substance abuse program. If told she doesn’t need one, Gorelick wants a written explanation.

Read a 147-page teacher sexual misconduct code.

Prepare a teaching curriculum to avoid teacher-student sexual relationships.

Pay restitution for any of the victim’s counseling.

Send letters of apologies to the victims and their families.

Abstain from possession of pornographic material.

Not obtain a post office box without the permission of the probation department.A first-year English and reading teacher at Western, Stow quit April 4, the day she was arrested. She was arraigned in April and entered a not-guilty plea.

In June, Stow was initially given the sentence offer for her no-contest plea, which she accepted a week later.