Three staff members including the principal of Newman International Academy High School in Arlington are facing charges after accusations of child grooming and an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Newman International Academy police said in a news release educator Ruel Barbee was arrested Feb. 6 after receiving a tip that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship.
The release did not include information on the relationship or what Barbee's job was. Barbee has been fired and has been released from the Tarrant County Jail after posting $15,000 bond, according to court records.
Another school employee, Gabrielle Little, was also fired after turning herself in to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office four days later, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Little was charged with child grooming and has been released on $15,000 bond.
Principal Richard Adams was arrested Feb. 12. He's charged with professional failure to make a required child abuse report with the intent to conceal, according to Tarrant County Jail and court records. He's also facing a charge of tampering with a witness and three counts of tampering with evidence with the intent to impair an investigation.
Adams is being held in lieu of $50,000 bond, $10,000 for each charge, according to jail records.
KERA News has requested copies of news releases about Little and Adams. The Newman International Academy police did not respond to an email and multiple phone calls from KERA.
The tampering charges are classified as third-degree felonies.
The athletic director, girls' varsity basketball head coach and an assistant football coach have been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the ongoing investigation, according to WFAA.
Superintendent Dr. Sheba George said in a statement that the charter school "will root out any exploitation or abuse of our students."
"There is absolutely no excuse that could justify the actions of educators who do not care about the well-being of students or who hurt them," George wrote in the statement. "It is my hope and prayer that other institutions responsible for the safety and well-being of children would take similar actions in response to this epidemic in our schools."
This isn’t the first time educators at the charter school’s Arlington campus have been charged with sexual abuse of students.
The charter school saw its athletic director arrested in May 2023 on charges of an improper relationship with a student. Alberto de la Cruz, 34, was sentenced last year to 8 years deferred adjudication, according to Tarrant County court records.
De la Cruz was accused of “inappropriate, unprofessional, and unacceptable behaviors” numerous times, both on and off campus, school police said in a 2023 news release. Authorities said at the time that de la Cruz tried to cover up the relationship.
Newman International Academy is a charter school with three campuses in Arlington and one each in Mansfield, Fort Worth, Cedar Hill and Watauga.
