Collinsville Independent School District trustees voted to fire baseball coach Derrick Jenkins, who has been on paid administrative leave for months over his alleged grooming of female students.
During a school board meeting on January 19, trustees unanimously approved sending Jenkins a “notice of proposed termination,” initiating the process to fire a term contract employee for cause.
Jenkins has 15 days to request a protest hearing before an independent examiner.
Collinsville ISD Superintendent Matthew Davenport placed Jenkins on paid administrative leave on October 20, 2025, in response to allegations that the coach was engaging in inappropriate communications with female students via social media apps including Instagram and Snapchat.
Such communications violate Collinsville ISD policy and the Texas Educators’ Code of Ethics. They may also violate state laws against child grooming and/or “improper relationships” between educators and students, among other felony offenses.
Collinsville mom Destiny Dougherty reported Jenkins to the superintendent, along with another teacher/coach who is still working in the district.
“I came forward because student safety matters,” Dougherty told Texas Scorecard. “I followed the proper reporting process in good faith and expected the school to uphold its stated commitment to integrity.”
She said her two teenagers have “paid tremendously because their mother spoke up,” and her family has faced retaliation “from the school administrators, Collinsville PD, to local residents who made a Facebook group solely to slander me.”
“I see why people do not report,” said Dougherty.
“Ironically, Collinsville ISD’s theme for the year is ‘Integrity—What are you doing when no one is watching,’ yet only a few among Collinsville administrators have demonstrated what true integrity is,” she said.
“Retaliation—against my family or educators who speak up—undermines trust and discourages others from reporting concerns. Integrity means protecting students and those who advocate for them, not punishing them,” Dougherty added.
Other parents have claimed that Jenkins’ behavior had been reported in the past to Collinsville High School Principal Kim Patterson. Her husband is Athletic Director Garrett Patterson, the other administrator with supervisory authority over Jenkins.
On Monday night, State Rep. Shelley Luther (R–Sherman), whose Texas House district includes Collinsville ISD, updated her constituents about the board’s vote via social media.
“The police investigation is allegedly ongoing,” she added.
The Collinsville Police Department has been leading the investigation, according to Davenport and the department.
In an October 27 statement, Davenport directed anyone with information about Jenkins to contact Lt. Jon Cheshire with the Collinsville Police Department and/or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
On November 6, Collinsville Police posted an “official statement” on Facebook advising that the department was “actively investigating allegations of grooming” involving a Collinsville ISD staff member and a student.
The statement also announced that the Texas Rangers had joined the investigation into Jenkins, along with the Grayson County District Attorney’s Office.
However, when parents publicly questioned the announcement, CPD revised its statement to remove the reference to the Texas Rangers.
In a December 8 press release, Collinsville PD stated that the department had spent “hundreds of hours investigating the allegations” against Jenkins and urged the public to rely “only upon the Collinsville Police Department or other verified official sources” for information regarding the case—while also noting the department was unable to release much information.
Collinsville ISD is a 600-student district located in Grayson County with two campuses, an elementary school and a middle/high school.
Jenkins began working for the district in August 2021 as a high school special education teacher and baseball coach.
He missed multiple games in 2023 and 2024 due to ejections, suspensions, and sanctions from the University Interscholastic League, but coached the Collinsville Pirates baseball team to state championships in 2024 and 2025.
Jenkins remains listed in the Collinsville ISD staff directory but has reportedly relocated to Hughes Springs.
His wife Whitney Jenkins is also still listed in the staff directory as a teacher at Collinsville Elementary School.
Some Collinsville residents believe the allegations against Jenkins have been downplayed because of personal relationships between school administrators, city officials, and families of the targeted students.
Jenkins has been certified to teach special education since 2003. He previously worked in Whitehouse, Alto, and Lindsay ISDs.
District families can direct questions or concerns to Superintendent Davenport at 903-429-6272 and/or Collinsville ISD trustees.
