New details in Decatur substitute teacher sexual assault investigation; student’s family hires attorney

Bradley Zimmerman
·4 min read
11

Editor’s Note: Some people may find the content of this article disturbing.

Update at 2:30 p.m.

MT. ZION, Ill. (WCIA) — WCIA has learned that the family of the boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by his substitute teacher has hired attorneys to represent them in court.

Cunningham Lopez LLP, a Chicago-based law firm, confirmed they were retained by the family and that they will be pursuing legal action against not only Alley Bardfield, but Decatur Public Schools. Attorneys accused the school district of failing to ensure the safety and well-being of its students.

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The law firm’s full statement can be read below:

On April 3, 2024, Alley Bardfield was arrested on charges of grooming and predatory criminal sexual assault of our client. The accused abused her position as a sixth grade teacher to exploit our client’s trust and engage in reprehensible acts. Ms. Bardfield’s actions have had a profound and lasting impact on our client, which will likely lead to
significant physical, emotional, and psychological challenges.

The perpetrator’s predatory actions have left our client with permanent injuries that have greatly disrupted his and his family’s daily life. As a result, we will be pursuing justice not only against Ms. Bardfield but also the school district as a whole, which failed to properly train and supervise in order to ensure the safety and well-being of its students. We are determined to hold both the perpetrator and the school fully accountable under the law.

Cunningham Lopez LLP

MT. ZION, Ill. (WCIA) — A sworn police statement obtained by WCIA is revealing new information about a sexual assault that allegedly happened between a Decatur Public Schools substitute teacher and one of her 6th grade students.

Alley Bardfield, 32, was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation by the Mt. Zion Police Department and Macon County Sheriff’s Office. The statement, signed by Detective Corey James and provided by the Macon County Circuit Clerk’s Office, laid out the grounds for the arrest.

The statement from James revealed that the 11-year-old boy spent the night at Bardfield’s home, staying with her for 25 hours from March 29 to March 30. James said that the boy’s mother noticed him acting differently after he returned home. The next day, she checked his phone and found CashApp payments and social media messages between him and Bardfield. The payments totaled $700 over the past few months and the messages included a photo of her son and Bardfield flipping off the camera.

When the mother confronted her son about this, James said the boy disclosed that he had unprotected sexual intercourse with Bardfield. The boy was later interviewed on April 3.

When the interviewer asked him what he was there to speak about, the boy said he was there because he was sexually assaulted by his teacher.

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In that interview, James said the boy disclosed that the night of March 29, when he was spending the night at Bardfield’s residence, he was in Bardfield’s bedroom. The boy provided more details on the sequence of events that occurred between him and Bardfield, leading up to the two having sex. The boy also indicated that Bardfield told him she would exchange nude photos with him on Snapchat.

James said that after the interview, the boy was allowed to communicate with Bardfield through text in the presence of his mother and law enforcement officials. Later, the two talked through a phone call and FaceTime with officers listening via court-authorized eavesdropping.

During this time, Bardfield and the boy discussed birth control and pregnancy via text message. Bardfield then advised the boy to delete the message and asked to talk to him on the phone. On the phone, James said Bardfield could be heard telling the boy that she could not get pregnant. Bardfield agreed to see the boy again and gave instructions on how the two could communicate on social media moving forward. Before ending the conversation, James said Bardfield stated that she missed the boy “a whole lot.”

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Bardfield was arrested at her home later in the day on April 3. James said that during a mirandized interview, Bardfield admitted to having sexual penetration with the boy and exchanging nude photos with him, but said that the boy had made sexual advances on her. She also told officers that she paid the boy when he would ask her for money.

Since news of the arrest broke on Thursday, Bardfield has been fired from Decatur Public Schools and was arraigned on a Class X felony count of predatory criminal sexual assault. She is due back in court on April 17.

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