A former Bardstown High School teacher and girls soccer coach pleaded guilty Friday to sexually abusing a 16-year-old student, a case that began with an anonymous letter to the school district back in March. Mary “Hanna” Mattingly broke down in tears in court as she admitted to first-degree sexual abuse and possession of matter portraying a sexual performance of a minor, according to the charges detailed in her plea.
Anonymous Letter Sparked the Investigation
According to WDRB, Bardstown City Schools received an anonymous letter on March 26 outlining “alleged inappropriate conduct between a female substitute teacher and a student.” That letter led directly to the investigation into Mattingly, the station reported. Police said Mattingly had sexual contact with the 16-year-old student and exchanged nude photos with them, with a judge stating the sexual contact occurred between March 1 and July 31, 2025.
Mattingly was arrested by Bardstown police, who identified her at the time as a teacher and girls soccer coach at the high school, per the Courier Journal. The Louisville Courier Journal reported that Mattingly was charged with felony sexual abuse of a minor and possession of material portraying a sexual performance by a minor, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Plea Deal and Sentencing Date
Under the plea agreement, Mattingly would serve five years in prison, the station's report states. Her final sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21, 2027. Reports have given conflicting ages for Mattingly — 32 at the time of her guilty plea according to the station's account, while an earlier indictment listing from the Nelson County Gazette identified her as 31.
Part of a Troubling Pattern in Bardstown
Mattingly's case follows that of former Bardstown football coach Jeremy Dale, who pleaded guilty in June 2025 to six counts related to conduct involving four former students, according to the Courier Journal's reporting. Accounts of Dale's jail sentence differ: one Courier Journal report said he was sentenced to 60 days in jail, while another Courier Journal report said he received a six-month jail sentence. The school district separately settled with the same four students over Dale's conduct for a total of about $320,000, the paper reported.
The Courier Journal's broader investigation found at least 80 cases of alleged child sexual misconduct by Kentucky middle- and high-school coaches over the past 15 years, underscoring that Bardstown's cases are not isolated incidents within the state's school sports system. Kentucky's Education Professional Standards Board is the body responsible for suspending, revoking, or refusing to issue or renew educator certificates for those who engage in misconduct, according to the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board.
