A former high school teacher in Washington state who sexually abused one of her students is once again at the center of public outrage, more than two years after she walked out of court having escaped a prison sentence.

McKenna Kindred was 25 when she abused a 17-year-old boy at Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley, the school where she worked.

According to court documents, contact began in 2022, after the student found Kindred’s Instagram account and the two started messaging each other. Over the following months, the messages became inappropriate, and in November 2022, Kindred sexually abused the student at her home while her husband was away.

Among the evidence later uncovered was a payment Kindred had reportedly sent the teenager through Venmo, described as “gas money.” His mother told police that she had thought at the time that it was inappropriate, but she didn’t know which teacher had sent it.

As rumors began to spread at the school, the student’s classmates became concerned. They found messages between him and Kindred and passed screenshots to another teacher, who contacted the police.

Kindred resigned from the school shortly after the investigation began.

In March 2024, Kindred pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. Both are gross misdemeanors in Washington state.

After both the prosecution and the defense recommended that she avoid jail, the judge sentenced her to two years of probation and $700 in fines and fees, as well as ordered her to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

In court, the boy’s mother described the devastating impact the abuse had on her son. She told the judge that Kindred had begun grooming him when he was just 16, and called her actions predatory and an abuse of power.

She said her son was unable to finish high school on campus, which affected him socially, emotionally and academically. Kindred apologized in court, saying she was truly sorry for her actions and that counseling had helped her understand her behavior.

Reports say Kindred and her husband have since moved to Idaho, and that she gave up her teaching license there after an investigation by the state’s education standards body.

Many people are outraged by the sentence, and have asked whether it would have been as lenient if the roles had been reversed.