Kendall Burk: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Kendall Burk is a 23-year-old Kentucky high school teacher who is accused of confessing to having sex with a 15-year-old male student. The Grant County High School biomedical science instructor was arrested on August 21 and charged with four counts of rape and four counts of sodomy. Speaking to Local 12, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office reported that Burk and the student’s relationship started at the end of last school year but turned sexual over the summer.

Residents of Dry Ridge, a small community 50 miles north of Lexington, are in shock. “I couldn’t imagine what would make a girl who just graduated from college, why would she risk everything and throw it away for a relationship, or whatever you want to call it, with a 15-year-old boy?” parent Michelle Heath told WLWT5.

Here’s what you need to know about Kendall Burk.

1. A Student Reported the Alleged Relationship

The alleged relationship came to light when a student told a teacher, who then notified school officials. Administrators alerted the school’s Student Resource Officer and Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

After interviewing several students who had knowledge of the relationship, deputies made contact with the alleged victim and Burk. Investigators said she met with the teen between June 15 and July 3. She is accused of admitting to having sexual encounters with the student twice in her parent’s home on Mohawk Trail and twice in her car on Kinman Road, both in Dry Ridge.

2. Burk Could Spend Up to 40 Years in Prison if Convicted

Burk has been charged with four counts of rape in the third degree and four counts of sodomy in the third degree. “The defendant had oral sex performed on her and performed oral sex on the victim on each of the four times she had intercourse with the victim,” the warrant read.

In Kentucky, rape in the third degree is charged when a “person in a position of authority or position of special trust” engages in sexual intercourse with a minor under 18 “with whom he or she comes into contact as a result of that position.”

Sodomy, known in Kentucky as “deviate sexual intercourse,” includes oral sex. “Deviate sexual intercourse is defined by state law as being committed by someone over the age of 21 who engages in sexual intercourse with someone under the age of 16. It also includes “being a person in a position of authority or position of special trust,” who has come into contact with the victim as a result of that position.

Burk posted $25,000 bond on August 22. She cannot have contact with the accuser or other minors or go on to school property or contact school employees, other than her mother, who is employed by the school district. The date of her next court appearance was set for August 26. She is also not allowed to use a cell phone or have access to social media, WCPO reported.

Rape and Sodomy in Kentucky are class D felonies punishable by one to five years in prison. Burk faces 8 to 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

3. Grant County Parents Received a Letter About the Incident

On August 22, the Grant County School District sent a letter home to parents informing them about “allegations of inappropriate conduct” between Burk, who went unnamed, and a student. According to the memo, the District “followed proper protocol for a preliminary investigation,” and noted that the instructor had been dismissed.

“Our first priority – and that of law enforcement with whom we work – is and must always be the protection and safety of our students,” the letter said.

4. Burk Graduated From the School Where She Was Taught

Kendall Burk attended the same high school where she taught. A neighbor described her to FOX 19 news as a “standout student.” A high school friend recalled Burk was athletic and “very popular.”

Burk graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2018 with a degree in Human Health Science, then returned to teach at Grant County High School. Students who took her classes said she was extremely well-liked but agreed that what she did was wrong.

“He is a minor and she’s 23 years old and she’s a teacher. It definitely shouldn’t have been happening,” Grant High School Senior Cody Wells told Local 12.

5. Burk Isn’t the First Teacher From Grant County High School to Face Arrest for Alleged Sexual Misconduct

Kendall Burk’s arrest wasn’t the first time parents had been notified of a teacher’s alleged sexual misconduct. In 2013, Grant County High School Band Director Kenneth David Owens was arrested for having an inappropriate relationship in 2011 with a female student who was 16 at the time. Grant pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse and received 10 years in prison for the Grant County rape as well as another rape in Kenton County.

Joann Owens, Kenneth Owens’ wife and head of the Grant County High School marching band, was arrested a week later for attempting to discourage the victim from appearing in court or testifying. Joann Owens pleaded guilty to two counts of tampering with a witness and was sentenced to probation and mandated to pay a $2,000 fine.