IF that were the case, then this discussion would hardly matter. We wouldn't need a law because no one would be doing it. This statement is wildly, irrationally optimistic.
Anyway, in my opinion it would be better to redeem the talent of the teacher rather than kill their career -- especially if it would be no crime if the kid were a few months older. I think it would be better for everyone to rehabilitate the teachers rather than burn them at the stake.
Now if they had kidnapped him and tortured him, yeah. But sex with an "almost adult" = that just plays on a general sexual self-loathing on the part of society than it does a crime on the part of the teachers.
I think you're missing my point entirely. That it is a critical, career ending lapse in professional judgement to bang one's students applies regardless of the age of the teachers or students. It has nothing to do with the age of consent, or statutory rape laws. It's deeply unethical, for many reasons that have nothing to do with age. Here are a few:
Conflict of interest. Your job is to teach students and objectively assess their grasp of the lessons. If one of the students is also your lover, can you really claim to be objective regarding their mastery of the subject you're teaching them? And how are the other students to know whether their grades are being assigned on the basis of their classroom performance or their performance (or lack thereof) in the bedroom?
Abuse of authority. You are in a position where the grades you assign will impact the academic future of your students, perhaps critically, especially at the high school level. Assuming you are the initiator, this smacks of coercion. Whether or not you would allow sexual rejection to colour your grading of the student's work is irrelevant - what matters is whether
they think this is a possibility. If so, the consent you obtain is highly questionable, since the student may have felt they had no choice.
Undermining the credibility of one's employer. If you are banging your students, and by doing so, throwing your objectivity as an assessor of their skills into question, your unprofessional behaviour - if tolerated - will reflect very poorly on any qualifications awarded by your employer. This could have wide ranging consequences from the employment or education prospects for graduates to enrollment and tuition. Do you know ANYBODY who would knowingly send their teenage children to a high school that tolerates sexual relationships between teachers and students? I sure don't.
Please note that I did not at any time even mention the age of the student, which is ENTIRELY irrelevant to my opinion that these teachers should both be sacked and permanently prohibited from teaching.