An Alabama high school teacher and cheer coach, Makaela Caldwell Hodgins, has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly engaging in sexual relations with a male student. The 32-year-old mother of two was arrested and held on a $30,000 bond, as per court records. The student involved in the case is reportedly under 19 years of age, although his exact age has not been disclosed in the charging documents.
Hodgins, a resident of Woodland, Alabama, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, details regarding her next court appearance have not been made public. She began her tenure as a cheer coach at Randolph County High School in Wedowee, Alabama, in 2022, as stated in a post on the school’s Facebook page.
The post also revealed that Hodgins is a Randolph County native and was a cheerleader at Woodland for six years. She earned her master’s degree in education from the University of West Alabama in May 2022. Hodgins also taught at her alma mater, Randolph County High School.
According to the same Facebook post, Hodgins is married to her college sweetheart and they have two children together. Over the past decade, she has been actively involved in various aspects of cheer coaching, including judging try-outs, conducting cheer camps, and choreographing routines.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office has not yet responded to requests for comment on the case. John Jacobs, the Superintendent of Randolph County Schools, stated that Hodgins started working for the school system on August 2, 2021, and her last day in the classroom was November 15, 2024. He assured that the school would cooperate with local authorities as needed.