A middle school teacher in Florida has been arrested after a student disclosed the details of their sexual relationship over a two-year period.
Hayley Morgan Hallmark, 35, was teaching history, world cultures, and soccer at Ruckel Middle School when she began texting the female student — who was 15 years old at the time.
After the victim — now 17 years old — confided in a teacher at her new school, Niceville High School, the information was shared with a school officer at Ruckel Middle School, who got in contact with the authorities to report the allegations.
Hallmark was arrested after being put on administrative leave by the school. She was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct with a student by an authority figure and is expected to be suspended with no pay.
The student told the police that she was in the 8th grade when Hallmark began texting her in August 2017.
Around a year later, the teacher and student began texting in a sexual manner before going on to share naked photos on Snapchat and talk about getting intimate together.
The police report noted that Hallmark and the student performed sexual acts on each other while in the school and in their own homes.
The positioning of the classroom cameras was altered so they would not be seen, and they would hold the door shut to avoid anybody coming into the classroom.
The inappropriate relationship continued for another two years before ending in August 2020. The report stated: “[The teen] explained the defendant and she would perform these acts in the classroom by tilting the classroom cameras away and leaning against the classroom door so no one could enter.”
Speaking on behalf of Ruckel Middle School, Marcus Chambers said that teachers at the school represent “the highest standards of…ethics and morality,” adding that the main priority is student safety and wellbeing.
Chambers added: “Okaloosa County teachers represent the highest standard of professionalism, ethics, and morality. When an educator fails to live up to that high standard, we’re all impacted. Student safety and well-being is our highest priority, and we expect our employees’ conduct to be consistent with that priority.”
Hayley Morgan Hallmark had previously taught at Bellview Middle School in Pensacola, where she was given the title of Escambia County Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 2011.
According to the latest reports, Hallmark was held at the Okaloosa County, and her bond was set at $20,000.
