Families whose sons were victimized by middle school Coach Caleb Elliott got their first chance to speak publicly to Celina Independent School District trustees during an emotional standing-room-only meeting Thursday night.
Parent after parent told school officials that trust had been shattered with the community. Some spoke through barely controlled tears. They expressed rage, heartbreak, frustration, and a determination to see justice served.
Caleb Elliott is accused of secretly recording boys in the Moore Middle School locker room with his cellphone and saving the videos. He was arrested twice this month, first on a charge of invasive visual recording, and then for possession of child sexual abuse material, referred to in state law as “child pornography.” Elliott is currently out of jail on bonds totaling $200,000.
“Celina ISD broke the trust of every boy in that locker room,” one Moore Middle School mom told trustees, stating that there are “38 victims and counting” in the ongoing investigation into recordings made by Elliott of teen and preteen boys changing and showering.
“This is going to be a pivotal moment for this district,” said another.
Multiple middle school parents called on board members to investigate fully, find the truth, and hold accountable any administrators who had knowledge of or were part of Elliott’s crimes—up to and including Elliott’s father and department head, Celina ISD’s longtime Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bill Elliott.
Caleb Elliott, 26, started working as a 6th-grade teacher and 8th-grade coach at Moore Middle School in 2023. During 2021 and 2022, he worked for the district as a substitute teacher and maintenance worker.
Parents have said that the younger Elliott was instructed last year to stay out of the locker room while students were present after he came out as gay, but students reported that this year he was in there “all the time” with his cellphone while dozens of young football players were undressed.
“I know it’s a football town, so let’s talk about football,” said the father of one of the Moore Middle School boys who reported Elliott’s locker room activities to police. He noted that “courage” is this year’s theme for the Celina Bobcats team.
“Two Bobcats had the courage to see something and say something,” he said, his voice full of rage and frustration. “My son is my hero.”
He also applauded the Celina Police Department for their professionalism.
A Moore Middle School mom also commended “the courage it took for our boys to come forward and speak the truth about what happened in the locker room,” adding that their lives will be “forever shaped by this avoidable situation.”
Another Moore mom challenged district officials to “implement real changes.”
A father whose family recently moved to Celina for football told trustees that Caleb Elliott was his 7th-grade son’s favorite coach.
“Predators make you trust them,” he said. “Children and adults as well.”
Head Football Coach Bill Elliott also spoke at Thursday night’s meeting, turning his back to trustees to address the crowd of community members.
“I want you to know how sorry I am and my family is about this entire situation,” said Elliott. “It’s a mar on our family, on our name, on this program, on this town, and I’m very sorry for that.”
Seeming to confirm his son’s guilt while absolving himself and other administrators from responsibility, the athletic director said multiple times that “justice” will be done but that only “one person” is responsible.
“I understand your anger. I understand your frustration,” he added, to jeers from some Moore Middle School parents.
The mother of Celina High School’s football team captain spoke in defense of Coach Bill Elliott, calling his impact on her son “incredible” and arguing that the actions of one family member “does not affect the other.”
The Celina Bobcats are in the middle of a 7-0 football season and hold first place in their district. The team went undefeated last year and were state champions.
Trustees called Thursday’s special meeting to deliberate in closed session regarding “pending investigations” involving Elliott and consider disciplining or dismissing employees.
Before hearing from parents, Superintendent Tom Maglisceau announced that Caleb Elliott had tendered his resignation and “as a condition of accepting his resignation, the district facilitated the surrender of his teaching certificate with the Texas Eduction Agency.”
As of October 17, Elliott’s teaching certificate is still valid but “under review” by the TEA.
Since the district allowed Elliott to resign, there was no need to vote on terminating his employment. After a two-hour closed session, the board returned to open session and took no action.
Before adjourning, several trustees commented that the district was taking the matter very seriously and had initiated an “independent third-party investigation.”
Yet the board last met on September 15, prior to Caleb Elliott’s first arrest, so it is unclear how the board could have approved such an action without meeting.
The next Celina ISD board meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 20.
In the wake of the scandal, a local private school owner told Texas Scorecard she’s received several inquiries from parents of Moore Middle School students looking for alternatives. Moore is currently the only middle school in Celina ISD, although district voters approved a $2.3 billion bond package in May to spend on 11 new schools, including a $631 million high school.
Community members can contact Celina ISD trustees with questions or concerns.
