TAMPA – from www.myfoxtampabay.com – A Hillsborough County judge ruled former teacher and sex offender Debra Lafave is now allowed to have unsupervised contact with children.

The 29-year-old has been on probation since pleading guilty in 2005 to having sex with a 14-year-old student while she worked at Greco Middle School in Tampa.

One of the conditions of her probation was status as a sex offender, which meant she was not allowed to have contact with minors.

Lafave’s attorney, John Fitzgibbons, filed a motion on Monday requesting permission for her to have supervised contact with a “limited number of the children of family and friends” with parental consent.

During a hearing Thursday, Judge Wayne Timmerman ruled Lafave can have appropriate unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 18.

In 2006, the state statute changed allowing sex offenders who have completed a sex offender therapy program supervised contact only.

Fitzgibbons’ court filing indicates that Lafave completed a program, but since she was charged in 2005, the judge said the law is not retroactive.

“This was another step along the way for Debbie and she continues to do very well in a very difficult program. We’re very pleased with the progress she is making,” Fitzgibbons said. “She is doing well with her doctor. She will continue to go ahead with these efforts in the years and months ahead. Today was a good step forward.”