Police: Arkansas Special Education Teacher Sexually Abused Minor Student

Yet another former high school teacher has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor student, authorities in Cross County, Arkansas, said Thursday.

Kara Lee, 26, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault in the first degree and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, reports WREG. 

While Lee’s Facebook page advertises her former job in special education at Cross County High School, her teaching career is most likely over after being accused of grooming an unidentified male student. 

Lee was arrested “following an investigation by the Crimes Against Children Division [CACD] into acts allegedly occurring in November and December of 2023,” the outlet reported.

“A call was made to CACD, and an investigation ensued, finding that Lee had inappropriate physical touching and sexual intercourse with a male student. This investigation is ongoing,” the local sheriff’s office said in a news release.

While Lee has since resigned, parents have been demanding more accountability from the school district, claiming it attempted to keep the situation quiet.

“I’m just confused as to why she was allowed to resign & not immediately terminated,” one local woman commented on the sheriff’s statement. “The press release said there was evidence found proving inappropriate behavior. Our kids need to be protected.”

“So…she was put on leave before Christmas break…the school knew about it then. But, as parents, the school still has not notified us. So disappointed,” she added.

Another Cross County mom claimed that she “was told that the school has told [Lee] more than once to stop what she was doing” and that faculty had the inappropriate teacher-student relationship “brought to their attention multiple times from different people.”

Nathan Morris, superintendent of Cross County Schools, released a statement after the news of Lee’s arrest broke out:

In December 2023, Cross County School Administrators received information that an employee engaged in inappropriate conduct towards a student. The District investigated and reported the allegation to the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Hotline. The employee has since resigned. 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.

Lee was released from jail after posting a $40,000 bond on Friday.

“It makes me sad; it also makes me feel angry,” said local mom Madisyn Hill to 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.”