A counselor at a private school in South Carolina has been arrest after she allegedly told authorities that she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with an underage student.
Authorities arrested Kenleigh Prendergast, 25, shortly after midnight on Saturday and charged her with sexual battery for having an alleged inappropriate relationship with a 16- or 17-year-old student, Fox News reported.
The relationship allegedly began in January, just five months after Prendergast started working at Spartanburg Day School, and ended several days before the relationship was reported to the police on March 25, investigators said.
Prendergast reportedly admitted to deputies that she communicated with the student through texts, calls, and FaceTime sessions before meeting with the student at her residence, which also doubled as her private counseling practice, the Daily Mail reported.
Spartanburg Day School is a private, co-ed independent school for students in pre-K to 12th grades where tuition can run up to $19,230 per year. The school “immediately” fired Prendergast after the police told them about the illicit relationship.
“Effective immediately, Ms. Prendergast’s employment with the school has been terminated,” the school announced in a statement. “SDS puts the safety and wellbeing of our students above all things, and will cooperate fully with the Sheriff’s Office throughout this process.”
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