Kentucky Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse, Banned From Teaching For Life
Rachel Clement, 29, will also register as a sex offender following a plea deal that resolves charges of sending explicit messages to a student.
A former Kentucky teacher has pleaded guilty to sex abuse charges involving a student and has been banned from teaching in the United States for life as part of a plea agreement. Rachel Clement, 29, a former teacher at Henderson County High School, is accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to a student. The investigation into her conduct began in May.
Henderson Circuit Judge Karen Wilson accepted Clement's guilty pleas to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse with a position of authority or special trust and one count of tampering with physical evidence. As part of the agreement, Clement will be permanently prohibited from teaching in the U.S. and must register as a sex offender on the national sex registry for life.
Clement is also required to have no contact with the victim, the victim's family, or the school district. She was removed from the school immediately after a report was made to administrators in May, who then alerted law enforcement. Her contract with the school district expired the following month.
Initially, Clement faced charges including unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited actions, first-degree sexual abuse, and tampering with physical evidence. She had pleaded not guilty at her arraignment in June. Prosecutors amended the charges as part of the plea deal, dropping the initial first-degree sex abuse charge.
Clement was scheduled to go to trial on Friday. Henderson County Commonwealth's Attorney Herb McKee Jr. stated that he consulted with the victim, his family, detectives from the Henderson Police Department, and the school district, all of whom agreed with the proposed resolution. McKee indicated that the evidence supported the amended charges.
Clement faces a potential sentence of up to three years for each sex abuse charge and up to five years for the evidence tampering charge. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 4, 2027, according to online court records.