Shawnee, KS- A former Kansas Teacher of the Year has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to charges related to sexual conduct with students.
Keil Hileman, a former middle school teacher from Shawnee and the 2004 Kansas Teacher of the Year, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for each of two counts related to attempted unlawful sexual relations, according to KMBC-TV. Following his release, Hileman must register as a sex offender for a duration of 25 years.
Hileman faced arrest in 2022, facing six charges related to unlawful sexual relations, with five of those charges involving sexual acts with a single student. The events in question reportedly took place from June 2017 to July 2018. Allegations involving a second student are said to have occurred from September to October 2022.
Hileman admitted guilt to two charges of trying to engage in illegal sexual activities in August.
Hileman served as an educator at Monticello Trails Middle School in Shawnee starting in 1995. Alongside his role in teaching middle school students, Hileman also instructed an honors class for juniors and seniors from Mill Valley and De Soto high schools.
According to court documents, both students implicated in the sexual charges were over the age of 16 when the events occurred. Hileman was dismissed from his teaching position after the allegations were brought to the attention of the school administrators.
Hileman received the honor of Kansas Teacher of the Year in 2004 and was among the four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year award. In 2010, he received an honor by being inducted into the Mid-America Education Hall of Fame.