Nixa school board fires high school teacher after 'sexual contact' charges
With a unanimous vote Friday morning, the Nixa school board voted to fire a Nixa High School teacher charged two weeks ago with, among other things, statutory rape and sexual contact with a student.
Zac Rantz, chief communication officer, said the decision was made "after following the process and timeline laid out in board policy and state law."
"The district will continue to follow policy and procedure and cooperate fully with investigators in this matter," he said, in a statement.
Lena Irene Stewart, of Marionville, was hired in mid-2021 to teach agriculture and construction at the high school. She was placed on leave in December, as soon as the district was notified about an investigation by the Nixa Police Department.
Allegations surfaced in late 2022 that Stewart was spending too much time with a 16-year-old male student.
Stewart was charged with six felonies: one count of statutory rape, three counts of sexual contact with a male student, and two counts of statutory sodomy.
She was also charged with misdemeanor sexual misconduct.
The student allegedly told police that he met Stewart at a friend's house, where they later had sex.
The student told police he felt pressured to be part of the relationship and was afraid that Stewart would be upset or give him a bad grade in the woodworking class, according to court documents.
Interviewed by police, Stewart said she often exchanges text messages from students. The police asked to see the message and she turned over her phone but none were found. Police discovered a "secret Instagram account" that Stewart and the student used to communicate, according to court documents.
Stewart was arrested by Nixa police, held in the Christian County Jail and later released on a bond of $25,000.
A bond hearing is set for 9 a.m. Feb. 14 in front of Judge Douglas Bacon.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Nixa school board fires teacher after 'sexual contact' charges
