Dallas Independent School District has agreed to a $1 million federal civil settlement to resolve allegations of “passing the trash.”
The civil action, brought under the new Project Safe Schools initiative, contends Dallas ISD violated the federal False Claims Act by incorrectly certifying compliance with state mandatory reporting laws while receiving federal special education funds.
Federal prosecutors alleged Dallas ISD allowed an educator who was repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct to quietly resign and failed to report his misconduct to state officials. The educator is now charged with abusing special-needs students in Forney ISD.
According to the settlement agreement, Dallas ISD opened four separate sexual misconduct investigations into then-special education teacher Michael Roell, also known as Johnathan Michael, during the two years he worked for the district (July 2022 to April 2024).
Dallas ISD hired Roell in July 2022 as a special education teacher at Peeler Elementary. Tito Salas was the school’s principal at the time, and Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde had just been hired to head the district after previously serving as superintendent of Austin ISD.
Federal investigators discovered that Dallas ISD had rejected Roell’s application in 2021 due to his arrest in 2016 for indecency with a minor involving one of his special-needs students while he was teaching in Garland ISD. A jury acquitted Roell of the charge.
At Roell’s request, a Dallas County district court expunged the arrest from his record, and he reapplied to Dallas ISD with no flags on his criminal history or teaching credentials.
After the fourth misconduct complaint against Roell, Dallas ISD placed the teacher on leave and recommended terminating his contract.
Yet Dallas ISD never reported any of the misconduct allegations to the Texas Education Agency or State Board for Educator Certification. Instead, the district utilized its Title IX process and a higher Title IX standard to find the allegations “unfounded,” according to federal authorities.
Dallas ISD allowed Roell to resign in lieu of termination in April 2024, then placed Roell on an internal, Dallas-ISD-only Do Not Hire list.
Dallas ISD asserts that if either Plano ISD or Forney ISD had inquired about Roell, which they did not, district policy would have required Dallas ISD to inform them that individuals on its internal Do Not Hire list are not eligible for re-employment with the district.
The Department of Justice contends that the existence of an internal Do Not Hire list—without corresponding reports to SBEC when required—is precisely why the statewide Do Not Hire Registry and mandatory SBEC reporting are necessary.
The federal investigation revealed “systemic failures” in Dallas ISD’s handling of allegations, including:
- Failure to Report Evidence of Misconduct: Texas law required reporting upon receiving evidence of covered misconduct. Allegations from an anonymous complainant, a parent, and multiple administrators met that threshold but were never reported.
- Improper Reliance on Title IX Processes: Dallas ISD applied a higher evidentiary standard than state law requires, treating a Title IX “not responsible” finding as a basis not to report to SBEC. State law required reporting regardless of the Title IX outcome.
- Internal Do Not Hire Lists: Roell resigned in lieu of termination and was placed only on an internal Dallas‑ISD‑only Do Not Hire list, leaving future Texas districts unaware of pending concerns.
- Lack of Coordination with Law Enforcement: Allegations of past abuse were routed internally instead of being referred directly to municipal police, despite the gravity of the conduct described.
The terms of the settlement agreement require Dallas ISD to “implement sweeping, multi‑year compliance measures intended to strengthen student‑safety reporting, improve coordination with law enforcement and ensure adherence to Texas Education Code Chapter 22A.”
The $1 million cash settlement includes a $145,000 penalty and $855,000 of additional funding for district-wide reforms. This district will also:
- Pursue formal Memoranda of Understanding with local law enforcement and the Texas Rangers to clarify roles, timelines, and mandatory‑reporting protocols;
- Adopt districtwide Civil Liability Disclosure Forms for all applicants, contractors, substitutes, and volunteers;
- Post mandatory signage outlining child‑abuse reporting duties;
- Implement detailed Child Abuse Reporting Requirements checklists for administrators;
- Provide mandatory annual training for Title IX decisionmakers, HR personnel, and investigative staff on SBEC reporting requirements and Chapter 22A timelines;
- Conduct compliance audits and maintain documentation of all personnel‑training requirements;
Review every sexual misconduct allegation dating back to 2022 and provide results to the Texas Education Agency.
“Let this be a warning to every district in the Northern District of Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould, who announced the settlement on Tuesday. “If you take federal funds and ignore state reporting laws; If you allow an accused educator to resign quietly instead of alerting the proper authorities; We will discover it and we will act without hesitation.”
“Under Project Safe Schools, we are making sure no district can hide behind bureaucracy or internal procedures while a dangerous educator slips through the cracks,” said Raybould. “This agreement forces fundamental change, because student safety must always come before institutional convenience.”
The Dallas ISD settlement is the second civil enforcement action announced under Project Safe Schools, the federal initiative launched by Raybould in August 2026 to protect students, enforce accountability, and restore transparency in North Texas public schools.
The first also involved Roell/Michael and resulted in a False Claims Act settlement with Forney ISD.
Federal authorities also filed criminal wire fraud charges against Roell/Michael and Crosby Elementary Principal Wendy Bailey, now using the name Wendy Huckabee.
The two are accused of conspiring to conceal Roell’s past history of sexual misconduct with students so he could be hired to teach in Forney ISD. Messages obtained by federal investigators show then-Principal Bailey encouraged Roell to legally change his name.
Both were federally indicted in September on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
Roell/Michael and Bailey/Huckabee are also facing multiple state charges related to abuse of Forney ISD students.
Michael, 45, was arrested in May and charged with two counts of injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury and one count of child grooming, both felonies. Bailey, 53, was arrested in July and charged with endangering a child and failure to report child abuse.
Raybould also issued a letter on October 8 to all North Texas ISD superintendents and school board presidents.
The letter cautioned school officials against “passing the trash” or entering into nondisclosure agreements with educators accused of misconduct that hinder reporting, and urged them to voluntarily report any potentially unlawful past practices or settlements.
“If your district has engaged in any form of concealment, we strongly encourage voluntary disclosure,” wrote Raybould. “Those who come forward and remedy past failures will receive appropriate consideration from our office. Those who do not should expect significantly harsher consequences.”
“Protecting students is not only your legal duty, but also your moral obligation. And standing up for kids means standing up for truth,” he added. “When we protect the voices of those who speak out, we protect every child—and empower every parent—to trust the system meant to safeguard their future.”
Potential violations should be reported to USATXN.projectsafeschools@usdoj.gov.
Texas Scorecard maintains a map of known educator sexual misconduct arrests.
