A North Texas high school teacher is in jail following allegations that he sexually groomed a student.
Ryan Ashley Hedges, 42, was arrested Tuesday by the Kemp Independent School District Police Department and charged with sale, distribution, or display of harmful material to a minor—a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
On Wednesday, police added a charge of child grooming, which is a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison.
Hedges taught at Kemp High School.
Kemp ISD spokeswoman Stephanie Frosch declined a request for more information about Hedges’ employment and said the district had “no further comments at this time.” The district’s website indicated he was a science teacher.
Superintendent James Young released a statement Tuesday morning about the arrest, but did not name Hedges. In an updated press release, Young said the individual was no longer employed with Kemp ISD.
Young stated that district administrators learned on Monday, April 21, of an allegation that Hedges “shared an inappropriate digital image with a student.”
He said Kemp ISD police conducted a “thorough and swift internal investigation,” then obtained a warrant and arrested Hedges.
“The District Administration takes any school employee allegation seriously and is committed to a thorough, fair, and cooperative review of all information with appropriate authorities,” added Young.
Hedges was booked into the Kaufman County Jail on April 22 and held on a $5,000 bond for the misdemeanor charge plus a $7,500 bond for the felony charge.
State records indicate that Hedges does not hold a Texas teaching certificate.
According to online government salary records, Hedges worked as a substitute teacher in Plano ISD in 2023 and as a teacher in Mabank ISD in 2024.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes against students and other children.
Thousands of educator misconduct cases have been reported to the state since the Texas Education Agency began keeping organized records.
