36-Year-Old Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Sending Sexual Messages to Fifth-Grade Student During Online Class

Table of Contents

1. Arrest of Teacher
2. Charges Against Graf
3. School's Response
4. Related Case: Nicole Hernandez

A teacher has been arrested for allegedly sending explicit sexual messages to her fifth-grade student.

The elementary school math instructor was busted by police while allegedly on her way to pick up the victim from his home after a day of virtual learning.

Sydnee Graf, 36, was arrested on December 15 and charged with procuring and promoting the use of a minor by electronic means.Credit: Jefferson County Sheriff's Department

Sydnee Graf, 36, allegedly sent the boy, who was under 12 years old, disturbing and explicit messages, including that she wanted to “taste” him.

Court documents reveal that the teacher had allegedly messaged the victim to arrange a meeting after school hours to engage in sexual activities.

Authorities stated that snapshots and video recordings of the unsettling conversation displayed the alleged predator’s face and name in the top left corner of the computer screen.

After her arrest, Graf reportedly confessed to sending the inappropriate messages but pleaded not guilty during her arraignment.

She has been charged with procuring and promoting the use of a minor by electronic means.

Graf’s bail was set at $100,000, which she has since posted.

She is currently under house arrest and is prohibited from using social media.

Smyrna Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky, issued a statement revealing that Graf had been reassigned to a non-student role while the investigation is ongoing.

“In accordance with JCPS protocols, staff members will be reassigned and will not have contact with students during the investigation,” Principal Amanda Cooper stated.

“As this is an active investigation, I cannot disclose further details. We understand that situations like this can cause anxiety for students and families.”

Graf is scheduled to return to court on January 26.

This incident follows years of her writing handwritten love letters to the student.

Nicole Hernandez – also known as Nikki Baird – is set to face a jury trial after a judge determined there was sufficient evidence in her case on Tuesday.

She was arrested in May on four felony counts for unlawful relations with a 17-year-old.

The 30-year-old former teacher from Kansas allegedly began abusing the teenager when he was a sophomore in high school, according to KSNW News.

Police documents indicate that Baird groomed, manipulated, and “isolated” the student from friends and family over several months before the relationship became sexual in early 2024.

Concerns began to arise during the previous academic year when another teacher at Wichita High School informed Principal Kristina Murray that Baird had been spending “excessive time” with the student.

In court documents obtained by The Wichita Eagle, another administrator took control of the report; however, no investigation was conducted.

The complaints went unnoticed for over 12 months.

An investigation into Baird began on May 19 after an officer from the Exploited and Missing Child Unit was alerted by a social media post.

When informed of the police inquiry, Principal Murray admitted to authorities that Baird had “gotten too close” to the student.

Reportedly, court documents show that the teacher acknowledged “crossing boundaries.”

She allegedly told Murray that nothing more than an emotional relationship had occurred, claiming that their continued contact began only after the student graduated.

Baird later retracted this statement, clarifying that the relationship started while he was still a senior.

According to court records, the abuse allegedly took place before the teenager's last day of school.

The student, now an adult, informed police that Baird had been his middle school art teacher before also teaching him in high school.