Kentucky Biology Teacher Allegedly Raped Boy Multiple Times Over Summer Break
A Kentucky teacher has been charged with multiple counts of rape after allegedly having sex with one of her 15-year-old male students.
Kendall Burk, 23, was a biology teacher at Grant County High School. According to the Grant County Sheriff’s office, she allegedly began a relationship with the student at the end of last school year that turned sexual over the summer
Burk was booked into the Grant County Jail on Wednesday. PEOPLE confirms that she has been charged with four counts of rape and four counts of sodomy, both class D felonies. She was held on $50,000 bond.
According to Local12.com, Burk is a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky and had been teaching at the school for two years.
The school district and Grant County Sheriff told Local 12 that the investigation and arrest unfolded very quickly. On Wednesday, a student told a teacher about the alleged sexual contact. The teacher immediately told the administration. The same day, the administration called police.
“Our deputies, at that point, once they were alerted, interviewed some other students who had made the allegations and worked backwards, interviewing the victim as well as the teacher,” Grant County Sheriff Brian Mains told the station, adding that Burk allegedly admitted to having sex with the boy twice in her car, and twice more at her parents’ home.
The Sheriff’s office also told the Cincinnati Enquirer that Burk had “multiple sexual encounters” with the student.
The day after the arrest, the school district sent a letter to parents, informing them of the allegations.
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“The high school administration received notice of inappropriate conduct between a teacher in our district and a student,” superintendent Matthew A. Morgan states in the letter. “The teacher has been removed from duties.”
“While these events of course sadden us, our first priority…is and must always be the protection and safety of our students,” the letter adds.
According to Kentucky state statutes, both rape and sodomy in the third degree are punishable by one to five years in prison. If she’s convicted on all counts, she could face up to 40 years in prison.
Burk has not yet entered a plea, and court records do not reflect an attorney authorized to speak on her behalf. She did not immediately return PEOPLE’s message for comment.
