Teachers have an important contribution to the field of education, who work to guide students towards prosperity with moral values and knowledge. But now teachers are also being seen committing crimes. Recently a case has come to light which has shocked everyone. A Missouri schoolteacher has been arrested after allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old student on campus grounds and using other students as “surveillance.”
This is not the first case, many such cases have been seen before. Hailey Clifton-Carmack, who taught math at Lackey High School in Pulaski County, was charged in Texas this week with felony charges of endangering the welfare of a child, statutory rape, sexual contact with a student, and child molestation, according to online sources.
Authorities were first alerted to the affair by another student who came forward to report it. The student involved in the relationship allegedly showed them photographs of scratches on his back, which he said came from interactions with Ms Clifton-Carmack. The student described the teacher as “very close to the students.” According to court documents, the Lackey school superintendent and high school principal knew about the teacher’s behavior before it was reported.
Additionally, authorities obtained a warrant to search the teacher’s phone in December. According to an officer, Ms. Clifton-Carmack “handed over her phone without any problems and did not behave typical of someone facing similar charges,” and denied any wrongdoing.
On the advice of her lawyer, Ms. Clifton-Carmaker refused to provide her password when authorities asked her to check the data of the device. Investigators discovered a conversation between the student and Ms. Clifton-Carmack about their relationship after breaking into the electronic monitoring system.
“The employee is no longer with the district as of December 8, 2023, and we do not expect her to return,” the school district said. The 16-year-old girl’s father was aware of the relationship and told a witness that other students acted as “lookouts” while other students engaged in sexual activity at the school. According to the Independent, the father said the teacher had come to his family’s home just before he flew to Texas to visit his family. He told the witness, “They’re going to do it behind my back so I might as well let it happen.” The father was arrested by police and pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree child endangerment.
