Nixa School Board terminates contract of high school teacher accused of sex crimes involving a child

NIXA, Mo. (KY3) - The Nixa School Board voted to fire a high school teacher accused of sex crimes involving a student. The board terminated the contract for Lena Stewart on Friday morning.

In January, prosecutors charged Lena Stewart, 26, with two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, one count of statutory rape, three counts of sexual contact with a student, and one count of sexual misconduct.

Prosecutors say the incidents date back to October 2022 involving the student. Investigators say the student claimed he felt pressured to be a part of the relationship. Investigators say the student claimed Stewart was lenient in class, not having to do much work to get an ‘A.’

The Nixa School District placed Stewart on administrative leave in December. The Nixa School District released this statement on her termination.

“After following the process and timeline laid out in Board Policy and state law, the Nixa Board of Education unanimously voted to terminate Lena Stewart’s employment with Nixa Public Schools at this morning’s Board of Education meeting. The district will continue to follow policy and procedure and cooperate fully with investigators in this matter.”

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