Florida Physical Education Teacher Accused of Maintaining Sexual Relationship with 15-Year-Old Student

Arin Hankerd (1)
Port Orange Police

A Florida physical education teacher has been arrested for allegedly maintaining a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.

Arin Hankerd, 42, who taught physical education and coached football at Atlantic High School, was arrested for allegedly maintaining an “ongoing inappropriate sexual relationship” with a 15-year-old student at the school, Port Orange Police wrote in a Facebook post.

****ARREST****On the night of Friday, February 10, 2023; Port Orange Patrol Officers responded to a residence after…

Posted by Port Orange Police Department on Sunday, February 12, 2023

Police say he worked at the school for “approximately two years,” having previously worked at two other schools in the area, Mainland High School and Father Lopez Catholic High School.

Police say the relationship started “first week in January 2023.” 

Citing an arrest report, Click Orlando detailed the circumstances that allegedly led to police being alerted to the potential relationship:

According to an arrest report, the girl’s mother found a journal with entries detailing her contact with Hankerd. The student and Hankerd used Instagram to communicate and he would send inappropriate photos to the girl using the app, according to the report.

 The 15-year-old and Hankerd began having “normal and friendly” conversations almost daily in December 2022, the report said, and he would bring her lunch sometimes. He told her at one point he thought of her “as more than a regular student,” according to the report.

According to the arrest report, Hankerd and the student had sexual interactions in a portable classroom and a gym storage room at the school over several occasions.

Volusia County Schools later indicated in a statement that police had informed the school system of the arrest on Sunday. VCS added that its Office of Professional Standards spoke with Hankerd at the Volusia Couty Jail the following morning, at which point he tendered his resignation.

This type of behavior will not be tolerated by Volusia County Schools,” VCS wrote, adding that the school system would “cooperate fully with the local authorities as part of this investigation.”

As of February 12, Hankern was being held on a $115,000 bond, according to police.

You can follow Michael Foster on Twitter at @realmfoster.

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