Kentucky superintendent faces police, firing after alleged relationship with student

Owensboro’s superintendent is under criminal investigation and his contract is in the process of being terminated after he allegedly engaged in a relationship with an “adult-aged student” enrolled in another school district, Owensboro district officials said.

The Owensboro Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday night to immediately suspend Superintendent Matthew Constant without pay and begin proceedings to terminate his contract for conduct unbecoming of a superintendent.

Constant could not be reached Thursday night. Board Chairman Jeremy Luckett said district officials had not spoken to him since his suspension.

A Kentucky State Police investigation into the situation continued Thursday night, Trooper Corey King told the Herald-Leader.

King said police think the student was 18 during the relationship and the situation is not criminal at this point, but they are developing a timeline.

“The board’s (doing) a really good job of being proactive,” said King. “There was a relationship between him and what we at this point see as an 18 year old student at time of the incident.”

King added that KSP was still “waiting for some more information to come in, in the form of those subpoenas.”

“That’s why it continues. It’s ongoing. We haven’t closed it out, so it very well could go criminal,” King said.

King said the two allegedly had a dating relationship and the student has graduated.

Constant had been suspended with pay since May 25 when the board of education learned of an ongoing investigation by KSP into the superintendent’s actions, a news release from district spokesperson Jared Revlett said.

“During the course of the investigation, the Kentucky State Police notified the Board that while not criminal in nature, Dr. Constant did engage in a relationship with an adult-aged student enrolled in another school district, “ the news release said.

Board members determined that Constant acted in violation of the professional code of ethics and several board policies.

“The Board of Education takes no stance on the guilt or innocence of Dr. Constant in relation to the ongoing criminal investigation by the Kentucky State Police,” Luckett said. “However, we have enough information to make the determination that Dr. Constant acted in a manner unbecoming of what we expect for our students and their families and therefore he is no longer capable of leading the district.”

Board members will notify the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board of a violation of the Professional Code of Ethics, Luckett said. Constant can appeal the decision. The standards board licenses Kentucky educators.

A September 2022 Lexington Herald-Leader investigation showed that in the 194 cases of teachers who voluntarily surrendered or had their license revoked or suspended from 2016 to 2021, 61% lost their license due to sexual misconduct. The overwhelming majority of those cases involved male teachers and teenage girls.

A bill that would require tougher screening requirements for teachers and more training on appropriate relationships between students and teachers failed to pass the General Assembly earlier this year. The bill received unanimous support in the House and a Senate Education Committee but failed to be called for a vote in the full Senate.

Luckett said a superintendent search firm will help in the selection of a permanent superintendent. Anita Burnette will remain the interim superintendent. Her contract runs through February 2024 with an option to extend that if necessary.