A 39-year-old El Dorado High School math teacher has been charged with having sex with a student, court records show.
Jelinda Dawn Keeling had a first appearance at 1:30 p.m. Friday and remained jailed in lieu of a $25,000 bond as of 3:20 p.m. She has been charged with a teacher having unlawful sexual relations with a student 16 or older. The student is 18 or 19, court records show.
El Dorado Police Department said Friday that Keeling was arrested after they got a report the day before of a teacher “having a sexual relationship with a student.”
Keeling is a math teacher, junior class sponsor and an assistant scholar’s bowl coach, according to USD 490’s website. Keeling has been with the district for nearly 14 years and teaches algebra and geometry, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She went to the district after working two years at USD 505 in southeast Kansas.
USD 490 Superintendent Jenifer Davis sent out an email to families in the district Thursday night, saying that they were notified by police earlier in the day that a teacher had been arrested.
“Nothing matters more to USD 490 than making school a safe and caring place for every student, every day,” Davis said in the email. “This teacher had been removed from campus and placed on administrative leave as of Thursday ... when we received the report of possible misconduct. We also have offered our full cooperation in the law enforcement investigation. Confidentiality laws prevent me from sharing any additional details at this time. If you are concerned about how your child might be affected, please contact me directly so that we can work with you on whatever support is needed.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2024 3:48 PM.