Katherine Harder, 31, was fired by the Manhattan, KS school district Wednesday, April 2 after internal discipline for alleged sexual contact with a 17 year old boy . According to police, she was caught allegedly having sex with a 17 year old student 10 PM Wednesday, March 26 at the Spillway Marina, a park just outside Manhattan, KS. She resigned the next day, but rescinded her resignation, and this led to the hearing on April 2 where she was fired.
On April 2, Harder was fired by a 7-0 closed door decision by the Manhattan, KS school board. In Kansas, while teens can legally consent to sex with adults who are not in a position of authority when they turn 16, teacher/student sex below the college level is a criminal offense regardless of the student’s age. Teachers also automatically lose their licenses in Kansas when they are convicted of engaging in teacher /student sex.
The school district released a statement through their communication director, Michelle Jones.
“Our concern is about taking care of our students, making sure that the transition to a different teacher goes smoothly for them. Talking with parents about the situation, talking with our staff about the situation.”
"Ms. Harder was a language arts teacher at Manhattan High School. She had worked for us for about three years, and she resigned from employment this morning," Jones said.
Though this arrest has rattled the Manhattan School District, Jones says it's not the school's first sex scandal.
"I had heard through the..just the grapevine that it happened many years ago, so that would have been at least nine years ago, which would have been before my time," Jones said.
Harder faces between 5 and 13 months in prison if convicted of unlawful sexual relations. She was released on $3000 bond March 27. She worked for the Manhattan-Odgen public schools for three years teaching 10th through 12th graders, and also taught at Kansas State University.
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