A North Texas principal was arrested for failing to report a teacher’s alleged misconduct as required by state law. The allegations were disclosed to the principal by a student who committed suicide days later.
Jansen Dru Trotter was arrested Tuesday on a charge of failure to report with intent to conceal, a state jail felony, and booked into the Fannin County Jail.
Trotter, 41, has been the principal of Leonard High School in the Leonard Independent School District since the start of the school year, but he is now on leave.
According to a statement issued Tuesday by the Leonard Police Department, Trotter’s arrest followed a “current and ongoing investigation” that involves “other agencies and prosecuting authority.”
Police stated they would “release additional information when appropriate and permitted by law.”
Later that day, Leonard Police disclosed to Fox4 that the misconduct allegations came to light following the suicide of a male Leonard High School student earlier this month.
The student’s parents found an audio recording on the boy’s cellphone of him telling Trotter about alleged sexual misconduct by a teacher at the school that involved multiple female students.
Police said Trotter denied knowing about the misconduct allegations reported by the student before he was told about the recording.
Trotter is charged with violating an educator misconduct reporting law passed in 2025 as Senate Bill 571.
Under the law, a principal commits an offense if he or she fails to report to a superintendent within 48 hours of becoming aware of evidence of alleged misconduct, specifically with an intent to conceal allegations that an employee abused or engaged in a “romantic relationship” or sexual contact with a student or minor.
The police did not disclose the name of the employee accused of misconduct, but Leonard High School’s longtime band director Scott Johnson, 59, is under investigation by the Texas Education Agency. Parents say Johnson has been on administrative leave since last week.
Leonard ISD Superintendent Brad Maxwell notified parents and staff about Trotter’s arrest on Tuesday afternoon and said the principal had been placed on leave.
“This action was taken in accordance with district policy following information brought to our attention by the City of Leonard Police Department,” stated Maxwell.
Placing a staff member on administrative leave is a standard administrative procedure to ensure a thorough review can take place. Because there is an active law enforcement investigation and a confidential personnel matter, LISD cannot provide further details or comments at this time pursuant to a directive received from law enforcement. The district is cooperating fully with local authorities.
“Please be assured that our focus remains the safety and well-being of our students, and we will share updates as we are able,” added Maxwell.
Maxwell directed questions to Leonard Police Sgt. Alan Blankenship at 903-587-2234 or ablankenship@leonardpd.net.
Leonard ISD hired Trotter as principal of the high school at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. He previously worked as an assistant principal at Sherman Middle School for four years and as a teacher in Whitewright ISD and McKinney ISD.
Trotter has held a Texas teaching certificate since 2008. His credentials are currently under review by the TEA.
The TEA is currently investigating thousands of educator misconduct complaints. In the last fiscal year ending on August 30, 2026, the agency opened 283 investigations into administrators’ failures to report misconduct, an average of 24 cases a month. In the first month of this fiscal year, 49 investigations into failures to report have been opened.
