Substitute Teacher Accused of Having Student, 11, Over for 'Play Dates' -- Then Sexually Assaulting Him

A former substitute teacher in Illinois is looking at the possibility of decades behind bars after she pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault in relation to her alleged after-school activities with an 11-year-old student.

Alley Bardfield, 34, reached the partial plea deal while in court last Thursday in Macon County. She was formerly employed by Decatur Public Schools, which is where she first made contact with the boy she's accused of inviting to her house after school for "play dates."

While Bardfield agreed to plead guilty to the charge levied against her, she and the state were not able to reach an agreement on sentencing, leaving it up to the court to decide her fate, according to CBS affiliate WCIA. She's facing the possibility of decades behind bars at her sentencing next month.

Mt. Zion Police first became aware of Bardfield in early April 2024, after the mother of one of her students became concerned about her son's changing behavior.

She and her husband have filed a lawsuit against the former teacher, who had the boy in her class at Hope Academy, and Decatur Public Schools. The district is accused of "failing to ensure the safety and well-being of its students," in the suit. A spokesperson for Decatur Public Schools declined commenting to WCIA on the lawsuit in order to "maintain the integrity of the investigation process."

That lawsuit offers more details of allegations against the teacher, as detailed by multiple outlets including WCIA, Fox affiliate WFLD, and ABC affiliate WCIS. The suit alleges that the boy first visited Bardfield's home outside of school hours in 2023 before returning twice more in March 2024. It is during those latter visits that the suit alleges she and the boy had two sexual encounters.

Bardfield was arrested on April 3, 2024, with the lawsuit stating that she "abused her position as a sixth grade teacher to exploit our client's trust and engage in reprehensible acts. Ms. Bardfield's actions have had a profound and lasting impact on our client, which will likely lead to significant physical, emotional, and psychological challenges."

A sworn statement from April 2024, reviewed by WCIA at the time, laid out the grounds for Bardfield's arrest after a joint investigation by the Mt. Zion Police Department and Macon County Sheriff's Office.

According to the investigation, the 11-year-old spent 25 hours at Bardfield's house, spending the night of March 29, 2024 with her. After his return home, his mother told investigators that she noticed her son was acting differently. That led her to check his phone the next day.

On his phone, she found sexual messages and a photo of Bardfield and her son flipping off the camera, she said, as well as CashApp payments totaling $700 from Bardfield to the boy. She said that her son confessed to unprotected sexual intercourse with Bardfield after confronted by what she had found.

On April 3, the boy was interviewed, at which point he told police he was there because he'd been sexually assaulted by his teacher, per their sworn statement.

He detailed the night allegedly spent in Bardfield's bedroom, including their activities leading up to intercourse, per the statement. He also said that Bardfield had told him she would send him nude pictures via Snapchat.

After that conversation with police, investigators said he was allowed a monitored text conversation with Bardfield, followed by a phone call and video chat. During the texts, police reported that the pair talked about birth control and pregnancy, with Bardfield allegedly telling him to delete their messages.

She asked him to call her, with police stating Bardfield could be heard telling him on the phone that she could not get pregnant, before agreeing to see him again and giving instructions on how they could continue communicating via social media moving forward. She closed that conversation, per the sworn statement, telling him she missed him "a whole lot."

After speaking with the boy and his parents, police arrested Bardfield in her home later in the day on April 3, 2024. After being told her Miranda rights, Bardfield agreed to speak with investigators, per their sworn statement, and admitted to having sexual penetration with the 11-year-old, as well as sending nude photos to him.

But her story differed from his in that she said the boy had made sexual advances on her. Additionally, she told police that the boy had asked for the money she'd paid him through CashApp.

"These allegations are shocking, especially when the alleged perpetrator is a person in a position of trust," said the Mt. Zion Police Department in a statement shared by People. "The Mt. Zion Police Department is fully committed to working with victims and their families as they deal with the trauma that results from these incidents."

After the allegations came to light, Bardfield was fired from Decatur Public Schools, per multiple media outlets, and charged with a Class X felony count of predatory criminal sexual assault, the same charge she faced in her plea deal.

WCIS notes that while the charge itself is punishable by up to 60 years, the state has already agreed to a cap of 40 years when it determines her sentence on September 25. She will be eligible for release after serving 85 percent of whatever prison sentence is determined.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.