Missouri Teacher Had Inappropriate Relation with Student and Gave Good Grade for Continuing Relationship; Pleaded Guilty

Honk News (Nixa, MO) –  A former teacher from Nixa High School, facing allegations of improper behavior with a student, has entered a guilty plea to lesser charges and received a sentence of supervised probation.

Online court documents reveal that on December 31, 2024, Lena Irene Stewart appeared in court and entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge of second-degree sexual abuse, classified as a misdemeanor. A judge in Christian County has imposed a two-year supervised probation on Stewart.

In 2023, Stewart faced serious allegations that encompassed second-degree statutory rape, multiple counts of sexual contact with a student, two instances of second-degree statutory sodomy, and a charge of first-degree sexual misconduct.

Missouri Teacher Had Inappropriate Relation with Student and Gave Good Grade for Continuing Relationship; Pleaded Guilty (1)
Image: Nixa High School; KY3 News.

A 16-year-old student informed authorities that their intimate relationship with Stewart commenced in October 2022, as stated in a probable cause document. According to the documents, the two individuals planned to gather at a friend’s residence, after which Stewart would transport them to a private location for intimate activities.

The student expressed their discomfort with the relationship, yet felt compelled to persist due to the “A” they were receiving in Stewart’s woodworking class.

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