Another Texas teacher has been accused of having sex with a student.
Jahmall Le’Sean Thomas, 39, was arrested Tuesday and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Thomas teaches in Hardin Independent School District. His alleged victim attends school in a different district.
State records show Thomas has been certified since 2021 to teach physical education. His educator certificate states Thomas is currently under review by the Texas Education Agency.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Thursday describing their investigation of Thomas.
Sheriff Byron Lyons stated the investigation began on August 23 with information from the Onalaska Police Department regarding an alleged relationship between a male teacher employed at Hardin ISD in Liberty County and a female student in a school district located in Polk County.
Detective Lieutenant Craig Finegan of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division then conducted interviews with the student and teacher.
According to the sheriff’s statement, “After a thorough criminal investigation, it was determined that the female student allowed him to pick her up and go to a location in Polk County, where he performed sexual acts to her in the back of his vehicle before returning her to her home.”
Thomas was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail on September 3 and released on a $75,000 bond.
The sheriff’s office stated that Hardin ISD was notified of the arrest and Thomas was being placed on administrative leave.
In an August 27 message, Superintendent Scott Mackey stated that a Hardin ISD employee was “alleged to have engaged in inappropriate behavior with a student of another school district. Hardin ISD takes all allegations of inappropriate behavior very seriously and the employee in question has been suspended pending investigation.”
The superintendent responded to a request for confirmation of the teacher’s current status by sharing the same public statement issued before Thomas’ arrest.
The sheriff’s office asked parents with information about Thomas “they feel is of concern” to contact Lieutenant Finegan at 936-329-9028.
Houston-based Grizzy’s Hood News shared the sheriff’s press release, adding “One of the Victims is a Hood News Peep’s daughter who attended Hardin High School. We’ve been waiting for this arrest. May there be justice.”
Each year, dozens of Texas teachers and school employees are charged with sex crimes involving students and other children.
