An Illinois-based substitute teacher has been charged with engaging in sexual misconduct with an 11-year-old male student during visits to her residence, as per local law enforcement. The accused, 34-year-old Alley Bardfield, has allegedly shifted the blame onto the minor, claiming that he was the one who initiated the inappropriate conduct.
Bardfield is also suspected of exchanging explicit messages and photographs with the student through SnapChat, and transferring significant sums of money to him via the CashApp over several months, according to a police statement. The mother of the sixth-grade student found $700 worth of CashApp transactions from Bardfield on her son’s phone. This discovery was made while she was investigating changes in her son’s behavior after he had spent the night at Bardfield’s home in Mount Zion.
Upon questioning her son, the mother found out that he had been involved in unprotected sexual activities with Bardfield. Bardfield, who recently admitted to predatory criminal sexual assault, was the boy’s teacher at Hope Academy public school in Decatur during the time of the alleged abuse, which took place between 2023 and 2024.
The substitute teacher is said to have invited the boy to her home for several visits in 2023 and twice in March 2024. During these visits, the two reportedly had two sexual encounters, as mentioned in a lawsuit filed by the child’s parents.
During a police interview, Bardfield stated that the child had made sexual advances towards her first. She was subsequently let go from her position at Decatur Public Schools when the allegations surfaced in April of the previous year.
Bardfield appeared in court in Macon County for a disposition hearing, where she reached a partial plea deal with prosecutors. She could potentially face up to 40 years in prison. While predatory criminal sexual assault can result in a sentence of up to 60 years, the state has agreed to cap its recommended sentence for Bardfield at 40 years as part of the plea deal. Her sentencing is scheduled for September 25.