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Former Kansas Educator Faces Trial for Alleged Inappropriate Relationship with Student
Nicole Hernandez, also known as Nikki Baird, a 30-year-old former teacher from Kansas, is preparing to face trial following accusations of engaging in an illicit relationship with a male student. The allegations include multiple sexual encounters reportedly taking place in the back seat of her Jeep.
Details of the Allegations and Arrest
According to reports from KSNW News, Hernandez was arrested in May on four felony charges related to unlawful relations with a 17-year-old boy. The relationship is said to have started while the student was a sophomore at Wichita North High School.
The arrest affidavit, obtained by local media, outlines a pattern of grooming, manipulation, and isolation tactics allegedly used by Hernandez to distance the student from his friends and family before the relationship turned sexual in early 2024.
Conflicting Statements and Timeline of the Relationship
Initially, Hernandez admitted to crossing professional boundaries but claimed the relationship was purely emotional and began after the student graduated. However, she later retracted this statement, acknowledging that the relationship started while he was still a senior. Court documents confirm that all alleged misconduct occurred prior to the student’s graduation.
Background and Progression of the Relationship
The student, now legally an adult, revealed to investigators that Hernandez had been his art teacher since middle school and continued teaching him through high school. The arrest report describes how Hernandez allegedly groomed the student over several years, starting with private interactions during school hours.
According to The Wichita Eagle, the student explained how Hernandez befriended him and gradually isolated him from his social circle. The affidavit details how these private meetings before and after school escalated to physical contact by his junior year, including inappropriate touching and insistence on hugs.
Escalation Beyond School Grounds
The relationship reportedly extended beyond the classroom when Hernandez gave the student her phone number, initially for school-related communication. Over time, their messages became more personal, with Hernandez confiding about her troubled marriage and expressing romantic feelings through handwritten notes. One note allegedly read, “I hope and pray one day I get the chance to be with you,” while another stated, “I know that I love you.”
By the student’s senior year, Hernandez reportedly arranged in-person meetings outside of school, including trips to local art centers and museums. With the student’s mother’s consent, these outings involved physical contact such as hand-holding. Following these excursions, Hernandez sent thank-you notes to both the student and his mother.
Physical and Sexual Misconduct
The affidavit alleges that physical contact intensified at school, with Hernandez kissing the student on the neck during hugs and attempting to initiate off-campus meetings where she asked if he wanted her to kiss him. The student, initially nervous, eventually consented under pressure.
Investigators were told that Hernandez demanded secrecy, instructing the student to “act normal” and keep their interactions hidden. As graduation approached, the misconduct escalated, with Hernandez inviting the student into her office multiple times and encouraging inappropriate touching.
Graduation Night and Subsequent Encounters
On the night of graduation, Hernandez allegedly asked the student to meet her in a quiet neighborhood and proposed having sex in her car. The student admitted feeling nervous and pressured but agreed. Hernandez reportedly reassured him by saying, “It’s okay” and claimed they wouldn’t face consequences since he had graduated.
Afterward, she offered him alcohol, which he declined. In the final weeks of the school year, the pair reportedly met several times a week for sexual activity in the back seat of her Jeep. Post-graduation, the student began receiving explicit photos from Hernandez and disclosed additional sexual encounters.
Evidence and Aftermath
The student preserved some of the explicit images as evidence and eventually ceased all contact after recognizing the relationship’s inappropriate nature and feeling manipulated. Despite this, Hernandez allegedly continued to visit his workplace and left gifts, such as candy, on his car.
The student confided in his family, sharing the explicit photos and handwritten notes, which were subsequently provided to law enforcement. Hernandez was arrested on May 22, appeared in court shortly after, and was released on a $50,000 bond. Her arraignment is scheduled for December 19.
