UPDATED April 7.
Former Rockport teacher Joshua Nguyen was fired as executive director of the Aransas County Navigation District after just a few controversial months on the job.
Tuesday’s firing follows Nguyen’s arrest late last year for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage student while he was working for the Rockport-Fulton Independent School District.
ACND commissioners voted 3-0 to fire Nguyen.
Commissioners Judith Vlasek, Martin Diaz De Leon, and Jack Wright voted to remove Nguyen from his position. Commissioner Tommy Moore abstained, and Nguyen’s father Long Nguyen recused himself.
Nguyen left his Rockport-Fulton ISD teaching job to join the ACND in September 2025.
He was arrested in December 2025 and charged with sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student. Both are second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Investigators determined that the alleged crimes occurred during the 2024–25 school year and into the summer of 2025.
During that time, Nguyen headed the school district’s maritime program. He also served (and still serves) as the director of a nonprofit vocational program he founded called the Texas Coastal Academy.
Through both programs, Nguyen had contact with Rockport-Fulton ISD students off campus, after school hours, and during the summer.
Rockport resident Kristie Rutledge told commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting that Nguyen used ACND facilities to attract students to enroll in his Academy.
Rutledge called on commissioners to remove Nguyen in order to protect the community. She cited her nine years of experience educating 6th through 12th grade students about sexual abuse, grooming, age of consent laws, and similar sensitive topics.
“I consider myself an expert in these issues,” she said. “Josh Nguyen was arrested two and a half months after hire [by the ACND] and charged with felony sexual assault of a minor and educator inappropriate relationship with a student. These are very serious charges. The Texas Education Agency acted accordingly, and ACND must also take immediate action to protect students and taxpayers.”
Rutledge noted that Nguyen’s teaching certificate is on “indefinite suspension,” meaning he is ineligible to work in a Texas public school in any capacity until the criminal charges against him are resolved.
“This is not a popularity contest. This is a very serious business decision,” she added. “Your duty is to act in the best interests of all taxpayers, ACND operations and employees, and safety. Maintaining family-friendly venues is critical for our community. Leaving him employed would send a message that you don’t care about the safety of kids.”
Rutledge closed by recommending commissioners read an article by State Rep. Mitch Little (R–Lewisville) entitled Declaring War on Sexual Abuse of School Kids.
Jeff Hutt, a TCA business associate of Nguyen’s, urged commissioners to keep their beleaguered executive director and claimed Rutledge only spoke against Nguyen because of him.
“It’s an attack on me using Josh,” Hutt told commissioners Tuesday.
Hutt said the navigation district is “by far the most despised entity in Aransas County,” and “Josh Nguyen is the type of person you need to help you move forward.”
Nguyen also spoke briefly Tuesday but said very little.
Commissioners previously held a special meeting on March 23 to privately discuss the matter with Nguyen.
During public comments ahead of that closed-door session, about a dozen people spoke in support of Nguyen—including his wife, brother, and former nanny.
Nguyen’s attorney Matt Ocker also spoke on his client’s behalf. His wife and Hutt’s wife both serve on the Texas Coastal Academy board with Nguyen. Ocker also sits on the board of the Aransas County Appraisal District.
Hutt spoke at the March 23 meeting as well, telling commissioners he and TCA had done an “exhaustive inquiry” into the allegations against Nguyen, “not only with this particular student, but with all students.”
He said TCA was left “more confident” in Nguyen but discussed “policy changes” to ensure “an individual who’s working with the organization will have better proof” in case similar accusations arise again.
Hutt also suggested Nguyen was a “whistleblower” who had exposed “financial mismanagement” within the ACND, and that terminating Nguyen without “due process” would expose the district to “serious consequences.”
The Aransas County Navigation District manages coastal facilities and land in the Rockport area, including several public parks and recreation sites. The district is run by five elected commissioners and collects property taxes to help fund its operations. ACND spent about $5.5 million in 2023-24, according to the most recent budget posted on the district’s website.
Nguyen’s termination is effective May 1. ACND commissioners agreed to pay him for the remaining six months of his contract,
As of April 7, the navigation district had not posted video of the March 31 meeting.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
