A married teacher allegedly had sex with a pupil aged no older than 13.
Kara Hernandez, 32, has been arrested on suspicion of indecency with a child involving sexual contact and an improper relationship between an educator and a student. A former student came forward to report Hernandez, understood to be a married mum of four, to Ronald Thornton Middle School near Sienna, Texas and relevant authorities.
Hernandez, an orchestra teacher, resigned from her post and now faces criminal charges in relation to the alleged behaviour. A grand jury indictment accuses Hernandez of intentionally engaging in sexual contact with a student enrolled at the school, according to court documents obtained by Click 2 Houston.
The alleged relationship happened on or around April 1, 2022, but only came to light recently when a former pupil told authorities. Hernandez was arrested on February 14.
Ronald Thornton is part of Fort Bend Independent School District (Ford Bend IST), which has said it began an investigation immediately and Hernandez will not return to her role, regardless of the outcome of the police probe.
The statement read: “Recently, allegations of past inappropriate conduct by a Thornton Middle School staff member were brought to the district’s attention by a former student.
“Fort Bend ISD immediately began an investigation, and the staff member was immediately removed from the campus and placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The staff member will not be returning to FBISD.”
In a separate statement to a local news channel, Fort Bend ISD added: “The district took action immediately after allegations came to light, and during our investigation the teacher resigned in place of termination in September 2024.”
The Fort Bend ISD website stated in Hernandez’s role as director of the orchestra she would “collaborate” with nearby high schools to “ensure the Sienna Orchestra students have a meaningful musical, educational, and community experience throughout their seven years.”
“Mrs Hernandez firmly believes that her purpose in life is to provide an exceptional music education for students,” the website continued.
Outside of teaching, she is said to enjoy “spending time outdoors and supporting the Houston Astros with her husband and their four children,” her bio said.
Hernandez’s bond has been set at $50,000 (£37,000), with $25,000 (£18,000) for each charge. The defendant is next set to appear in court on April 28.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
