A Plano ISD school teacher was arrested Wednesday for allegedly sexually abusing a second-grade student, police said.
Paul Campbell, 64, was arrested after detectives investigated an “outcry” by a student regarding “inappropriate physical contact,” according to a police news release.
Campbell was transferred to Collin County Jail Thursday and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old, which is a first degree felony. No attorney for Campbell has been listed yet.
Campbell taught at Brinker Elementary for more than 25 years and in Houston for 10 years as a second and fourth grade teacher, according to a December Internet Archive capture of his profile on the school’s website.
Jerry Minton, a public information officer for the police department, said Campbell was arrested Wednesday in the parking lot of the Plano ISD administration building before a scheduled meeting with the district.
Minton said parents who have children who were taught by Campbell may want to talk with them.
“You want to be able to talk with your kids but also, at that age, they might not necessarily know what happened, and you don't want to lead them to anything,” Minton said. “You do need to try and probably have some sort of a delicate conversation just to make sure that nothing was tried or nothing did happen.”
Zoheb Hassanali, assistant director of communications at Plano ISD, said in a statement the district is aware of the charges against Campbell.
“The alleged conduct is reprehensible and is completely inconsistent with the values and expectations we hold for all Plano ISD employees,” Hassanali said, adding that the district is cooperating with Plano police.
The district has also “initiated action to address the individual’s employment with the district” in accordance with state law, according to the statement. It wasn’t immediately clear if that means he’s been fired or not. KERA has reached out to the district for clarification and will update this story with any response.
The district said it will not provide any further details at this time out of respect for the privacy of the student and family involved.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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