What happens to 4 Fayette County schools employees charged with felonies?
Four Fayette County Public Schools employees have been charged with felonies in recent months.
The charges are myriad:
- John “Jay” Bordas, dean of students at Bryan Station High School, was accused of pointing a gun at a man and charged last month with wanton endangerment
- Glendover Elementary teacher Jaime Caldwell was charged this month with a DUI after police said she hit was driving drunk, hit a pedestrian and left the scene.
- Theo Hersey, a mental health specialist in the district, was charged last week with child abuse after police said he allowed mistreatment to continue at a day care where he worked in Madison County.
- Instructional assistant William Adam Lyle was charged March 21 with six counts of possession of child porn involving someone 12 or younger.
Dia Davidson-Smith, spokesperson for Fayette County schools, said Monday the district had “no further comment at this time” about the string of charges, or how the district would move forward in their aftermath.
But state policies indicate what could be next for the employees, most of whom have been placed on leave while they face the first felony on their respective records.
Davidson-Smith previously confirmed Caldwell, Hersey and Lyle are all on leave. She declined to say if Bordas is on leave but said the district is “aware of the situation.”
When a certified teacher is convicted of a crime, their district must notify the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board.
Bordas, Caldwell, and Hersey hold such Kentucky certifications, according to online state records.
But the district may be required to report a criminal charge to the board, too, if the allegations in the criminal charge “might reasonably be expected to warrant consideration for action against the certificate.”
The board can then decide what to do with the case.
The law allows the board to dismiss the case, conditionally dismiss the case upon completion of training, admonish the certificate holder, send the case to further investigation, initiate a hearing, approve a recommended agreed resolution, or defer the case to a later time.
The board can choose to revoke or suspend the teacher’s certificate; reprimand or admonish the employee; put the employee on probation or supervisory conditions; or any combination of those actions.
And in cases involving child sexual abuse, state prosecutors work with the school district and other agencies to investigate the allegations, said Fayette County Commonwealth Attorney Kimberly Baird. That team investigates all child sex abuse cases, not just ones involving potential FCPS employees.
Baird said her office doesn’t collaborate with FCPS about the disposition of the case or the person’s employment status.
“Oftentimes they will wait until the disposition of the criminal case to determine how to proceed administratively, or an employee may resign during the pendency of the case,” Baird said.
The latest on all four employees’ cases
The most recent arrest in the district was Hersey, who’s accused of allowing abusive behavior to continue at a Madison County day care where he worked. Hersey, 55, was arrested Friday but released the same day after posting 10% of his $15,000 bond, according to court records.
Hersey is not allowed to have any contact with children as part of his bond conditions, according to court records.
Caldwell, 29, was arrested Wednesday after allegedly seriously injuring a pedestrian in a collision on Georgetown Road. Caldwell was found drunk, her vehicle damaged, at Glendover Elementary School, where she works, police said.
Caldwell was released from jail the next day after posting a $25,000 bond, according to court records. As part of her bond conditions, she’s not allowed to drive a motor vehicle and will undergo random drug and alcohol testing.
Bordas, 44, was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment after a Lexington man says the dean followed him home and pointed a gun at him. In addition to dean of students, Bordas is the head golf coach and an assistant boys basketball coach at Bryan Station, according to the district’s website.
Bordas was arraigned in Fayette District Court on April 15. Court records say his next scheduled court appearance is May 22 for a pretrial conference.
Lyle’s case was sent to a grand jury on April 3 after a preliminary hearing, according to court records. He is charged with six counts of possessing matter portraying sexual performance by a minor 12 or younger.
Lyle remains lodged in the Fayette County Detention Center on a $30,00 bond, according to jail records.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow criminal charges work
Suspects are charged by law enforcement based on initial allegations and evidence that have not yet been proven in court or through jury trial.
