June 21, 2026
MSCS teacher charged with sharing explicit content of herself with student back in jail, records show
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) teacher charged with giving her student an iPad with explicit content of herself was booked into jail Monday for the third time in a month, records show.
Kelsey Whitmore, 29, is back in custody for soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor. Records show that’s the same charge as her original arrest.
Last week, Whitmore was arrested a second time — for violating bond conditions by contacting the 14-year-old student, records show. The judge released her on bond but also told the teacher that she would put her back in jail if she tried to do it again.
Court records allege that Whitmore gave one of her students an iPad for Christmas and also gave him a cell phone at some point. The child’s mother later told investigators that she found nude pictures and videos of the teacher on the iPad.
Court documents identified Whitmore as a teacher but the name of her school was redacted. FOX13 later learned Whitmore taught at Sherwood Middle School. MSCS placed her on leave around the time of her first arrest.
Whitmore appeared in court again Tuesday morning.
Judge Sheila Renfroe did not hold back her frustration from the bench while addressing Whitmore’s attorney, Kevin Massey.
The judge said that after being released from the jail at 201 Poplar last week, Whitmore didn’t activate her GPS monitor, a requirement of her bail conditions. The very next day a warrant went out for her arrest.
“When she was released, she didn’t immediately get that GPS on,” Renfroe said. “I know she didn’t because she wouldn’t be here.”
Police arrested her in mid-February. Whitmore was later released on bond, with the judge giving her strict requirements of not making any contact with the victim. Earlier this month, investigators said she reached out to the victim through another teen, asking the victim if he wanted to live with her after the case was closed.
Last week, Whitmore bonded out of jail for a second time before getting arrested this week for a third time due to the GPS issue.
The judge set Whitmore’s next court date for March 24.
