UPDATED February 11.
A charter school teacher in the Rio Grande Valley is accused of sexual misconduct with a student.
Adrian Cervantez Diaz, 40, was arrested and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Diaz was a teacher at IDEA North Mission College Preparatory Academy in Mission, which serves students in 6th through 12th grade. According to a statement from IDEA Public Schools, Diaz “is no longer employed with IDEA and has not been on campus since late last year.”
Online records show that Diaz had worked at the school since 2021.
In March 2023, Diaz was named the IDEA North Mission College Prep Employee of the Month.
Diaz graduated from the UTeach program at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, a middle and high school math and science teacher preparation and certification program.
He has held a Texas teaching certificate for Life Science since 2019, which is now under review by the Texas Education Agency’s Educator Investigations Division.
Diaz was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on February 6, 2026. His bond was originally set at $100,000, but he was released February 8 on a $50,000 attorney signature bond. Diaz’s attorney is former Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney Ricardo “Rick” Rodriguez.
Court records show Diaz was also arrested in 2021 for driving while intoxicated.
Locals allege that Diaz targeted a 16-year-old girl from Mexico.
IDEA Public Schools stated that its officials are “working in collaboration with law enforcement and taking appropriate actions in accordance with the law and network policy.”
“IDEA is committed to prioritizing the safety and well-being of staff and students,” the statement added. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further.”
Over the past few years, the Texas Education Agency has received sexual misconduct reports on at least 60 other IDEA Public Schools teachers accused of in-school sexual abuse or having inappropriate relationships with a student or minor.
A growing number of school employees across Texas have been accused of sex crimes against students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the TEA for sexual misconduct.
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