Celina ISD now faces a fourth lawsuit over allegations that a former teacher recorded students changing in the boys’ locker room. And attorneys say new evidence shows the district may have been aware of the misconduct before it was reported.
Caleb Elliott, a former eighth-grade football coach at Moore Middle School in Celina ISD, was arrested in October after a student reported that Elliott was intentionally photographing boys “in various states of undress” in the locker room. Elliott now faces39 criminal charges, including eight federal charges of sexual exploitation of children. He has been in custody since Nov. 7.
Texas House Rep. Mitch Little from Denton told reporters at a press conference outside the Collin County courthouse that multiple witnesses report another football coach at Moore Middle School confronted Elliott about his behavior before a student reported it to school principal Allison Ginn Oct.3.
“It is now apparent to me that Celina Police Department has stopped their investigation where they wanted to, and not necessarily where the evidence would lead them,” Little said.
He also said Elliott may have shared photos and videos of students to unknown people on the social media app Snapchat.
KERA has reached out to Celina ISD and the Celina Police Department for comment.
Concluded investigation?
The Celina Police Department concluded its investigation of the allegations against Elliott last month. Celina Police Chief John Cullison said at a press conference last month police found no evidence to support allegations included in lawsuits brought by families against the school district that Elliot had set up hidden cameras in the locker room.
Quentin Brogdon, one of the attorneys for the 17victims’ families included in the new lawsuit, said what happened was preventable. Brogdon said Celina ISD is deflecting blame for the allegations onto Elliott.
“The district's credibility on what it knew about this sexual predator and when it knew it is like a carton of sour milk,” Brogdon said. “You don't have to take more than the first sip of it to know the entire carton is bad.”
KERA filed an open records request for a copy of Elliott’s personnel file, as well as a copy of Ginn’s file and Bill and Nathan Elliott’s files. Bill Elliott is the head football coach at high school and Nathan Elliott is on the coaching staff. An attorney for Celina ISD said in a request for an Attorney General opinion the records contained a written reprimand and a report to the Texas Education Agency regarding an employee’s conduct.
The district is arguing the records should be withheld from public disclosure due to the ongoing investigation and pending litigation.
New Accountability
School districts could’ve been shielded from these types of lawsuits under government immunity. But a new law authored by Little that went into effectSep.1 says school districts that are grossly negligent or reckless in hiring, supervising or employing someone who commits sexual misconduct against a student or fail to report suspected child abuse can be held liable for that employee’s actions in civil court.
The victims and their families wouldn't be able to get justice without this new law, said Jack Walker, one of the attorneys who represents 17 families in the new lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
“This law now allows us to take the steps that we need to go beyond an initial investigation, to go beyond that, and hold this school district accountable for what we know is egregious conduct and missed red flags all along the way,” Walker said.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
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