Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating an incident involving accusations that a Celina ISD middle school teacher filmed students changing in a locker room.
“Any individual who broke the law or was involved in the heinous actions that have been reported will be brought to justice,” Paxton said on social media.
Caleb Elliott, a former eighth-grade football coach at Moore Middle School, was arrested earlier this month after he allegedly recorded and watched students changing and bathing in the school locker room.
KERA reached out to Elliott and his attorney in the lawsuit, but had not received a response before this story was published.
In a letter posted on social media, State Representative Jeff Leach called on the attorney general to investigate if the school district or staff had prior knowledge of Elliott’s actions before he was arrested.
“I believe it is imperative for the State of Texas to pursue its own investigation into its own political subdivision — the school district — to ensure Texas law was complied with, and, if not, to hold accountable those individuals who were required to act and failed or refused to do so,” Leach said in the letter.
Three families of the alleged victims are suing Elliott and the school district in Collin County court over the alleged sexual misconduct. The lawsuit alleges the school district moved Elliott to the middle school after he had an inappropriate relationship with a student while he was on the high school football coaching staff. His father, Bill Elliott, is the head football coach at the high school, which won its ninth football state championship, according to The Dallas Morning News.
“The school district took no adverse action about that,” said Paul Herz, the lawsuit’s lead attorney. “They just sent Caleb across the street to the middle school.”
Bill Elliott said at a recent Celina ISD school board meeting that he loves his son, but his son will faces the consequences of his actions.
"One person is to blame for all of this, one person," Elliott said. "He made a bad decision, a bad choice, and he's in a dark, dark place. And he will serve the justice that will be served to him ."
According to the lawsuit, a student reported to the Moore Middle School principal, Allison Ginn, on Oct. 3 that Elliott was intentionally photographing boys “in various states of undress” in the locker room. The school alerted police, who arrested Elliott that evening on suspicion of invasive visual recording, a state jail felony. He was later arrested again for possession of child pornography, a third degree felony.
Elliott was banned from the Moore Middle School boys’ locker room last spring after he was allegedly caught placing cameras, according to the lawsuit, saying it was to deter theft. The district sent some of the students’ parents apology letters over the incident but didn’t fire Elliott, the lawsuit said.
Police estimate 38 students were photographed in the locker room, Herz said. He said more families are joining the lawsuit against Elliott and the district.
Celina ISD has hired a third-party investigator according to a letter sent to parents shared with KERA. The attorney, Giana Ortiz, has placed Moore Middle School principal Allison Ginn and Bill Elliott on administrative leave.
Celina ISD’s superintendent, Tom Maglisceau, sent parents a letter earlier this week after the attorney general announced he was investigating.
“The District has demonstrated its commitment to aggressively pursuing resolution of the allegations and actions necessary for the well-being of our students,” Maglisceau said in the letter.
The superintendent encouraged the Attorney General’s Office to contact the Celina Police Department, whose investigation is still ongoing, for any assistance.
Herz, the attorney for the families suing Elliott and the district, said he welcomes the attorney general’s investigation.
“I think there’s a lot of angles of attack, and I think they’re all valuable,” he said.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
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