A horse-loving special education teacher was charged with having sex with a male high school student in Arkansas – a parents say the district knew about it for months.
Kara Lee, 26, was arrested Thursday and charged with three counts of first-degree sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Cross County authorities said.
Evidence found that Lee engaged in ‘inappropriate physical touching and sexual intercourse’ with a student at Cross County High School in Cherry Valley after the school district contacted the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Hotline.
Local residents said that the school district knew of the relationship for months and the minor involved is not a special education student.
‘I’ve heard that they have been interfering with each other for a while now and that the students knew about and told the school, but they didn’t take no action,’ a resident who asked to remain anonymous told K8 News.
Kara Lee, 26, was arrested Thursday and charged with three counts of first-degree sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Cross County authorities said
Local residents said that the school district new of the relationship for months and the minor involved is not a special education student
Lee was released from jail Friday on a $40,000 bond and resigned from her position at the high school.
In a statement issued by Nathan Morris, the Cross County Superintendent of Schools said: ‘The Cross County School District has a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate relationships between educators and students and will continue using its best efforts to provide students with a safe and healthy educational environment.’
The Crimes Against Children division reported Lee engaged in sexual acts with the student in November and December.
It is not clear where the encounters happened.
‘It makes me sad, it also makes me feel angry.’ Madisyn Hill, a local parent told WREG.
‘I have siblings that go to the school and they basically just said that it happened and this kid was emailing with her or chatting with her somehow, and it just kept occurring.’
It is unclear where exactly Lee had sexual relations with the student, but they were said to have happened in November and December
When reporters from WREG attempted to contact Lee at her home, nobody answered the door.
Fellow Cherry Valley resident Matt Jarvis said he knew the teacher when they were growing up together. Jarvis added he knew Lee was a ‘straight A student’ in both high school and college.
According to Lee’s Facebook page, she is an avid horse lover and is seen in multiple pictures riding her horses.
‘My two forever men: 13 years and 4 years,’ she said in one post where she posed with horses.
In a statement issued by Nathan Morris, the Cross County Superintendent of Schools, he said that the district has a ‘zero tolerance policy for inappropriate relationships between educators and students’
According to Lee’s Facebook page, she is an avid horse lover and is seen in multiple pictures riding her horses
Lee’s mother also works for the Cross County School District as a General Business Manager and District Treasurer, according to her Facebook profile.
‘I understand being close and having bonds with students, but I feel like they should be monitored, obviously, for certain reasons,’ Hill said.
Lee is expected to appear in court on January 9 in Wynne, Arkansas, and authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
Cherry Valley is a rural community with a population of about 556 residents.