Former Johnson County teacher Keil Hileman, who was on parole for sex crimes against students, is back in prison after he was found in possession of pornography.

On Aug. 5, Hileman was incarcerated at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas, for being in possession of pornography, David Thompson, spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Corrections, said.

The nature of the material he possessed was not disclosed, but it was in violation of his parole agreement, Thompson said.

Hileman was sentenced in November 2024 in Johnson County District Court to a total of 24 months in prison for two felony counts of attempted unlawful sexual relations with students. He was released on parole in January 2026.

His earliest possible release from prison is Oct. 24, according to Kansas Department of Correction records.

Hileman, a former USD 232 social studies teacher at Monticello Trails Middle School in Shawnee, was a highly decorated teacher before his crimes came to light.

He was convicted of engaging in “consensual lewd fondling or touching with a person 16 or more years old.” The crimes occurred between June 2017 and October 2022 with at least two victims, according to court records.

An attorney representing both victims did not return a request for comment from the Johnson County Post on Wednesday.

Hileman groomed at least 2 student victims

While teaching at Monticello Trails, Hileman earned national praise and awards for his course centered around an in-class museum of thousands of historical artifacts.

Meanwhile, his victims claim he displayed a pattern of “red flags,” including targeting vulnerable students, earning their trust through personal attention and emotional manipulation, isolating them from peers and adults and blurring professional boundaries through inappropriate personal communication, according to two lawsuits filed individually against USD 232 earlier this year.

Charged in Johnson County District Court in October 2022, Hileman was accused of engaging in “consensual lewd fondling or touching with a person 16 or more years old” between June 2017 and October 2022, according to court records.

Originally charged with six counts of unlawful sexual relations, Hileman reached a plea agreement that amended two of the charges to the less severe felonies of attempted unlawful sexual relations and dismissed the remaining counts.

He was sentenced in Johnson County District Court on Nov. 6, 2024, and later released from prison on parole to reside in De Soto on Jan. 16.

In July, a warrant was issued for Hileman’s arrest following the discovery of pornography on his computer, Thompson said.

Hileman’s victims are still suing USD 232

Within the last year, two of Hileman’s victims filed lawsuits against USD 232, both in Johnson County District Court, alleging the district failed to take action against Hileman despite numerous “red flags” that he was a danger to students.

“The District allowed Hileman to operate an unstructured, unsupervised educational program that allowed prolonged one-on-one student contact behind closed doors, conditions that directly enabled (S.K.)’s abuse,” a lawsuit filed by one of the former students in Feburary says.

Both lawsuits claimed Hileman created an “isolating and unsafe classroom environment” by covering the classroom windows, locking the door and disabling the phone and intercom system, all of which allowed him to interact with students in private.

During his sentencing hearing nearly two years ago, one of Hileman’s victims and former students, who said she had known him since she was five, spoke of how betrayed she felt by him.

“You told me not to tell anybody, then you started calling and texting my mom. How dare you hurt her, too. How dare you hurt my family. I hate you,” she said.

One of the ex-students’ lawsuits is currently scheduled for a five-day jury trial starting on Sept. 13, 2027, while the other has a case management hearing on Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.