A Passaic High School teacher who authorities say had sexual conversations and behaved inappropriately with two students several years ago was arrested Wednesday.

Jose Maria (Passaic County Prosecutor's Office)

Jose Maria, 39, is charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of official misconduct, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

The conversations took place between 2010 and 2012.

A family member of one of the alleged victims discovered old text messages and notified authorities.

Maria is a Passaic resident who has been a teacher since 2003. His salary is $72,531, according to public records.

The Passaic school district didn't immediately return a message from NJ Advance Media asking about Maria's employment status.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.