Coach Kyley Allworth accused of having sexual relationship with student

A former coach and librarian at the King’s Way Christian School in Vancouver, Wash. appeared in court Wednesday on felony charges she repeatedly had sexual contact with a female minor while working for the school.

Kyley Allworth, 29, is charged with three counts of felony first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. The incidents took place at the King’s Way school and First Church of God, which is affiliated with the school, according to court documents.

Previous to working at King’s Way, Allworth worked with an organization that discourages young people ages 12 to 18 years old from having sex before marriage, according to an email from the program’s director.

Allworth worked at King’s Way for two years and was also a lunch room and recess monitor, assistant librarian, and an assistant basketball coach for the high school and sixth-grade teams, according to court documents.

Investigators said Allworth had sexual contact with a student eight times between February 24 and March 8. Allworth resigned from her job at King’s Way on March 9.

An investigation by the Clark County Sheriff's Office into allegations of sexual misconduct began on March 10 after someone reported an inappropriate relationship between the student and Allworth. She was arrested on March 13.

Investigators said Allworth admitted having sexual contact with the student during an interview. They said the victim told them Allworth waed her that “I could get into trouble” and “I could go to jail” if she was found out.

Jeff Waldbauer, the executive pastor at Vancouver First Church of God, said he was devastated to hear this news.

He said his school runs background checks on teachers and non-teaching staff.

Officials at the Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction's office confirmed that the school did indeed run a background check on Allworth. (The superintendent's office originally reported that this school did not run a background check, but later said they provided inaccurate information.)

Private schools in Washington are not required to run background checks, but in this case the school did anyway.

In Oregon, private schools are also not required to run background checks, but many do, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

Allworth had previously worked for an organization called AWARE Inc., which is a program that “talks to teens and their parents about avoiding high-risk behaviors like early sexual involvement, poography, drugs and alcohol abuse,” according to an emailed statement from Executive Director Jim Grenfell.

“Our hearts go out to the husband and family of Kyley Allworth after hearing about the tragic charges that have been brought against her,” Grenfell said in the statement. “Ms. Allworth was an employee with AWARE for approximately two years and left the organization over 5 years ago.”

“Prior to her employment, AWARE completed a thorough reference check and background check and found no prior record of any misconduct or reason for conce,” Grenfell added. “There have never been any incidents reported during her time with our program, and again we are saddened over this tragic news.”

Allworth’s arraignment is scheduled for March 28, according to The Columbian.