Another Texas school employee has been accused of having an “improper” sexual relationship with a student.
Kayla Nicole O’Dell, 34, was arrested Wednesday and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
The offense covers both sexual contact and sexually explicit communication with a student, regardless of the student’s age.
O’Dell worked for Kilgore Independent School District.
Kilgore ISD spokeswoman Leah Gorman confirmed to Texas Scorecard that O’Dell was an instructional aide at Kilgore High School from August 2023 until January 2025.
“Kilgore ISD received Ms. O’Dell’s employment resignation on January 7, 2025. At that time Kilgore ISD was beginning an investigation of possible educator misconduct involving Ms. O’Dell,” Gorman stated. “Results of this investigation were turned over to law enforcement officials following her employment resignation.”
O’Dell was arrested by the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office on February 19 and booked into the Gregg County Jail. She was released February 20 on a $20,000 bond.
State records show O’Dell was certified as an educational aide in April 2024. Her certification is currently under review by the Texas Education Agency.
O’Dell is among hundreds of Texas school employees accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in just the past few years. While suspects are overwhelmingly male, an increasing number are women.
