Education

Mum-of-two teacher ‘had sex with student after marrying college sweetheart’

By Adrian Zorzut

Copyright dailystar

Mum-of-two teacher 'had sex with student after marrying college sweetheart'

A teacher and mum-of-two has been charged with allegedly having sex with a male student, according to US public authorities. According to charging documents, Makaela Caldwell Hodgins, 32, is accused of sleeping with the student, who has been described as being under 19-year-old, a local US news outlet claims. The Alabama teacher was arrested and is held on a bond of £22k ($30k). Makaela reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charge and it’s not clear when she’ll appear in court. The 32-year-old started working as a cheer coach at Randolph County High School in Wedowee in 2022, according to a school Facebook post . She had graduated with a master’s in education the same year. According to the Facebook post, Makaela is “married to her college sweetheart” and has two children. “She has been involved in many aspects of coaching cheer for the past ten years through judging try-outs, conducting cheer camps, and choreographing routines,” the post stated. Randolph County Schools Superintendent, John Jacobs, told The Post: “Ms. Hodgins began working for Randolph County School System on August 2, 2021. Her last day in the classroom was November 15, 2024. We will cooperate with local authorities as requested.” The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Earlier this month, an elite Sydney private school was rocked by allegations that one of its teachers had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy – a scandal that came to light only after the student’s father discovered text messages at the family dining table. Speaking from the Northern Beaches, parents and staff at St Augustine’s College in Brookvale say they are still coming to terms with the arrest of 24-year-old English teacher Ella Clements, who was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child aged 14 to 16 and one count of intentionally sexually touching a child aged 14 to 16. Clements, who is currently on remand, was arrested on September 16. In September, Julie Rizzitello, 37, a disgraced former educator from Wall Township High School, New Jersey, US, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual assault , according to officials. Rizzitello was arrested in summer 2024 after police said she and an 18-year-old student had multiple sexual encounters between April and June. One of the sickening incidents occurred in the victim’s car, according to charging documents obtained by NJ.com . Officials also said the English teacher sent the teen student nude photos , while the pair traded “numerous” sexual messages and also met up in Brick, Belmar and Wall townships. But it didn’t stop there – after her arrest on July 3, 2024, Rizzitello was accused of having sex with another student multiple times between 2017 and 2018. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .