Missouri Math Teacher Faces Prison Time after Admitting Sex with Student.
A Missouri-based math teacher, Hailey Clifton-Carmack, is likely going to prison after admitting last week that she had sexual relations with a 16-year-old student while other students served as her “lookouts.” The father of the boy, Mark Creighton, still faces felony charges for allegedly condoning the disturbing relationship.
Clifton-Carmack was arrested in January after a student reported their illicit affair to a school resource officer and showed them a photo of scratches she left on her victim’s back. She pleaded guilty last week to sexual contact with a student, a charge that could potentially imprison her for the next four years. The plea deal allowed her to avoid other serious charges, including statutory rape, child molestation, and child endangerment. Clifton-Carmack is currently under house arrest until her Oct. 11 sentencing.
Mark Creighton, the father of the student, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child since he allegedly knew about the affair but did not report it. However, his case is on hold until after Clifton-Carmack’s sentencing in Pulaski County, Missouri, according to the county’s prosecuting attorney, Kevin S. Hillman.
The student witness who reported the relationship between the teen and Laquey High School math teacher last December provided a photo of the victim’s torn-up back as evidence. The witness also claimed that Clifton-Carmack had been in trouble with school officials before for getting too close to students and wearing revealing clothing such as low-cut shirts and tight leggings.
Clifton-Carmack denied the relationship when detectives questioned her on December 8, 2023. However, her phone was confiscated, and text messages later revealed details of their risqué relationship. She fled to Texas before Christmas, with roommates unsure if she would return. The Garden Ridge Police Department arrested her in January, charging her with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree statutory rape, sexual contact with a student, and fourth-degree child molestation.
Mark Creighton was also arrested in January on charges of endangering the welfare of a child after another witness said they informed the teen’s father about the teacher’s actions. The man allegedly told the witness he would lie for his son if needed, and knew that his son and Clifton-Carmack used students as lookouts during their sexual encounters at school.
