Former Washington state high school teacher, McKenna Kindred, avoids jail time after having sex with student

A married former high school teacher convicted of having sex with an underage student will face no jail time, even though her victim’s mother says the educator’s “predatory actions” deprived her of student of his dreams.

McKenna Kindred, 25, who taught at Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley, Wash., pleaded guilty Thursday to amended charges of second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

The teacher’s inappropriate relationship with the 17-year-old student began in June 2022, when the minor discovered Kindred’s Instagram account and the two began messaging each other, according to the Spokeman-Review.

In November of that year, Kindred and the student had sex inside her home while Kindred’s husband was on a hunting trip.

Friends of the teen shared screenshots of the messages with school officials in December 2022.

Kindred and the then-teen had denied any sexual relationship as rumors began to spread around the school that the teacher had been harassed by someone on social media, the outlet reported.

An investigation was launched into Kindred’s behavior, leading detectives to speak with the teen, who admitted to sending messages to the teacher and even exchanging inappropriate videos.

The teen admitted to contacting Kindred on Instagram and having sex with the teacher at her home.

The investigation revealed that Kindred sent several messages hinting at sexuality to the teen, KHQ previously reported.

“I wanted you in my room.”

“When other girls talk about you in my class, I feel angry.”

“I really like being touched by you.”

Detectives seized the teen’s phone and found selfie-style photos of Kindred and the student, but found “no photos that appeared overtly sexual in nature,” according to the outlet.

The school district placed Kindred on administrative leave in December 2022, before resigning in 2023.

The victim’s mother claimed that Kindred began grooming her son when he was 16 and that his actions constituted an “abuse of power.”

“I barely slept for several weeks for fear of the physical retaliation that (my son) might face as McKenna involved him in her adult marital affairs,” Ashley Beckley said in her court statement, according to KHQ.

Beckley also claimed that Kindred’s actions prevented her son from completing his education on campus, affecting his social, emotional and academic well-being.

“A lamp he was carrying was dimmed,” she said.

Kindred apologized to the teen and his family, acknowledging the pain she had caused.

“I know the last year has been incredibly difficult for everyone involved. Because of my actions, I lost my career, valuable friendships, freedoms and disappointed countless people who trusted me,” she told the court in a prepared statement.

“My mental health has also been significantly affected by this event. I am deeply ashamed of the pain I have caused.

Kindred, who has been out on bail since her 2022 arrest, was sentenced to 2 years of probation, $700 in fines and fees and ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Since his arrest, Kindred has voluntarily begun seeing a counselor for his mental health, according to the Spokesman-Review.

Kindred’s counselor said the teacher’s mental health, depression, anxiety and marital problems were not an excuse for her crimes, but contributed to them.

“She suffered serious collateral consequences,” he added.