OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WEAR) - An Okaloosa County middle school
teacher and soccer coach is arrested for allegedly having a two-
year sexual relationship with a student, deputies announced.
Hayley Hallmark, 35, of Ruckel Middle School is charged with
lewd and lascivious conduct with a student by an authority
figure.
Hallmark is accused of having a sexual relationship with a
student between August 2018 and August 2020. Investigators say
the victim was 15 when the relationship started.
The report says the victim told investigators the relationship
began with texts when she was in the 8th grade and progressed to
'sexting' when she was in the 9th grade. The relationship
progressed to multiple physical encounters at multiple locations
including at the school and Hallmark's residence in Destin.
Deputies say Hallmark was taken into custody Friday evening
before being taken to Okaloosa County Jail.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) says the
investigation started Thursday after the victim confided in a
teacher at Niceville High School. The information was then
immediately reported by school officials to the School Resource
Officer.
OCSO says Hallmark was placed on administrative leave by the
school district the same day. The Okaloosa County School
District says they immediately began working with the Department
of Children and Families and OCSO to support the investigation.
An warrant from OCSO was issued Friday.
The school district says the Superintendent Marcus Chambers will
be recommending to the School Board that the employee be
suspended without pay pending the outcome of investigation
and/or criminal proceedings.
Superintendent Marcus Chambers released the following statement:
Okaloosa County teachers represent the highest standard of
professionalism, ethics, and morality. When an educator fails to
live up to that high standard, we’re all impacted. Student
safety and well-being is our highest priority, and we expect our
employees’ conduct to be consistent with that priority.
https://weartv.com/news/local/report-okaloosa-county-teacher-
coach-accused-of-having-sexual-relationship-with-student