UPDATED January 13 with a board statement on the investigation report.
As parents continue to call for transparency and accountability regarding a sex abuse scandal that rocked the Celina community and its famed football program, Celina Independent School District trustees commit to release a “redacted” report from a third-party investigation into coach Caleb Elliott’s illicit locker room recordings of boys at Moore Middle School.
Trustees reviewed the investigative findings during a nearly six-hour closed session at a special school board meeting called for that purpose Monday night.
The meeting agenda also stated that the board would “vote on matters considered in closed session… to take action necessary regarding personnel,” but trustees took no action on personnel issues—leaving unresolved the fate of two top administrators placed on leave during the investigation.
Just before trustees retired into closed session, School Board President Jeff Gravley stated that trustees would not be voting on any personnel matters because those issues were not on the agenda.
When trustees reconvened into open session at 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Gravley read a prepared statement:
The board has received an extremely large amount of information with the investigative report. The board will review all the information and evaluate all appropriate actions stemming from the findings.
The board will meet again on January 20 to continue its discussion to ensure a thorough review. In addition, the district is in the process of preparing the report to disclose as much of the report as possible, to provide transparency to the community regarding the findings.
However, Chapter 21 of the Texas Education Code requires confidentiality regarding the evaluative information of Chapter 21 certified employees. Additionally, the district will take measures to ensure the confidentiality of witnesses’ identities and/or other information confidential under the Texas Public Information Act.
“The district will be as transparent as the law and confidentiality concerns will allow, and will work to release the redacted report by the end of this week,” concluded Gravley.
On Tuesday evening, the board released another statement indicating that the investigation absolved the district and its employees of any wrongdoing in their hiring or supervision of Caleb Elliott.
To reiterate, the investigation found neither current employee witnesses nor employees who left the District had knowledge of alleged prior incidents of misconduct involving Caleb Elliott. There was no evidence that Caleb Elliott should not have been hired due to any alleged misconduct (known or unknown) at the time he was hired. Further, there was no evidence that there was any reason to suspect at the time he was hired that Caleb Elliott might someday go on to commit misconduct such as that he is now alleged to have committed.
State Rep. Mitch Little (R–Lewisville), an attorney representing families of 17 Moore Middle School families targeted by Caleb Elliott, called Gravley’s latest statement “self-serving” and noted that the investigator did not talk to “a single victim or their families.”
Superintendent Tom Maglisceau hired attorney Giana Ortiz in October to investigate district hiring practices and “related matters” following Caleb Elliott’s initial arrest.
Elliott was arrested on state charges of invasive visual recording, possession of child sexual abuse material, and sexual performance by a child; and indicted on federal charges of producing child sexual abuse material. He was allowed to resign in exchange for surrendering his teaching certificate and is being held in the Collin County Jail until his federal trial.
At Ortiz’ recommendation, Maglisceau placed Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bill Elliott—Caleb’s father and department head—and Moore Middle School Principal Allison Ginn on paid administrative leave pending completion of the investigation.
With the investigation complete, Celina ISD families hoped the board would direct the superintendent to reinstate, discipline, or dismiss the two administrators in line with the findings.
During the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, several people spoke in favor of reinstating Principal Ginn—including Ginn’s two young daughters and Coach Troy Davis, Caleb Elliott’s supervisor in the Moore Middle School locker room.
Others expressed frustration that no one in authority has been held accountable for enabling Elliott’s abuse, and no policy changes have been implemented to protect students from future abusive situations.
The father of a middle school student targeted by Elliott said the board is dividing the community by failing to hold anyone accountable, adding that his family had been harassed by football players at a school event.
“I hope this board will take responsibility and work to restore trust,” he said.
“We have been very patient,” a mom of two Moore boys told trustees.
It has been 108 days since 38 families got the call that pictures of our boys in various states of undress were identified on Caleb Elliot’s phone; 108 days of not knowing who knew what, waiting on investigations to close, hopeful that justice will be served.
“The legal process will deal with Caleb, but CISD needs to do its part,” she said. “Your job is to protect the kids.”
“You have to ensure that this does not happen again,” she added. “I never thought there would be sides on this. There should only be one side: all in favor of protecting innocent children… Get rid of the person responsible for hiring Caleb Elliott, along with any others that knew of or covered up his crimes, and restore our faith in Celina ISD.”
In addition to the criminal charges against Caleb Elliott, he and Celina ISD are defendants in four civil lawsuits alleging that the district negligently enabled Elliott’s exploitation of male students by ignoring his past predatory behavior and allowing him to be in the locker room with middle school boys.
One of the lawsuits also names Bill Elliott and Superintendent Maglisceau as defendants.
The lawsuits allege that district officials were not only aware of Caleb Elliott’s prior predation of young boys but deliberately covered it up, possibly to protect the legacy of Celina ISD’s famed football program.
Caleb Elliott is among hundreds of Texas educators accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in just the past few years.
Previous reporting:
- Celina ISD Coach Charged With Invasive Visual Recording of Middle Schoolers
- Celina ISD Middle School Coach Faces New Child Porn Charge
- Celina ISD Lets Coach Resign After Locker Room Recording Scandal
- Victims of Locker Room Recording Scandal Sue Celina ISD for Cover-up
- Lawmaker Calls for State to Investigate Celina ISD Scandal
- Celina ISD Faces Criminal Investigation Over Claimed Coverup of Coach Preying on Boys
- State Rep. Mitch Little Calls for Transparency in Celina ISD Sexual Abuse Scandal
- More Families Sue Celina ISD Over Locker Room Recording Scandal
- Celina ISD Coach Faces Third Arrest as More Families Join Lawsuit
- Celina ISD Coach Hit With Federal Child Exploitation Charges
- Celina Police Department Concludes Criminal Investigation Into Caleb Elliott
- Third Lawsuit Filed in Celina ISD Locker Room Recording Scandal
- Fourth Lawsuit Filed Against Celina ISD, Coach Caleb Elliott
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