Magnolia Independent School District trustees denied a family’s request to remove administrators who failed to protect students from a teacher who is now charged with molesting girls in his 2nd-grade classroom—despite parents’ past warnings about his inappropriate conduct.
District officials argued that it would be unfair to fire administrators “simply because they did not presume the worst” about a teacher, and accused the public of trying to “bully” the board.
Trustees heard arguments from both sides during a special school board meeting Monday night. Several parents and grandparents also spoke prior to the hearing.
“I can’t believe this has been allowed to go on for four years,” Magnolia grandmother Cherie Johnson told trustees during public comments. “The administration did not protect the children; they protected the school’s image.”
Parents Tayla and Ryan Craig have accused Magnolia ISD administrators of minimizing complaints made about teacher Jason Maldonado since he started teaching at Magnolia Parkway Elementary in 2022—from sexualized comments and boundary crossing to excessive and inappropriate touching of little girls.
Maldonado’s Alleged Sex Crimes
Maldonado was first arrested in May 2026 and is now charged with three felony sex crimes against his then-students. Investigators have identified more than a dozen others who say they were also subjected to inappropriate physical contact by the teacher, including putting his hands underneath their clothing.
After his May arrest, Magnolia parents learned Maldonado had been placed on leave in December 2025—when a mother reported him to CPS—and was later allowed to resign.
The criminal investigation revealed that the Craigs’ daughter had been among more than a dozen of Maldonado’s targets.
That’s when they filed a grievance with the district demanding accountability.
Parents’ Grievance
The Craigs’ grievance alleges Magnolia ISD administrators failed to take meaningful protective action in response to multiple complaints, allowing Maldonado continued access to the students he’s now accused of molesting.
Instead of investigating or reporting Maldonado’s alleged misconduct to authorities, administrators passed the teacher from 4th grade to 2nd grade, then assigned him to ESL students—each move placing him among more-vulnerable children.
School administrators denied any responsibility during Levels 1 and 2 of the grievance process.
Trustees heard the Craigs’ Level 3 appeal Monday night.
“Our daughter, and more than a dozen other children, were sexually abused by their former teacher, Jason Maldonado,” Tayla Craig told trustees. “These children were seven and eight years old. The central question is simple: What did Magnolia ISD know before December 2025, and what did it do with that information?”
Timeline
Craig reviewed a timeline of events in the case.
In 2022, a mother reported to then-Principal Megan Baker that Maldonado made sexually explicit comments to students. She then removed her son from his classroom.
That mom, Megan Callihan, told trustees Monday night that Magnolia ISD’s lack of accountability and failure to trust parents’ concerns has “caused irreparable damage.”
“I wish that when Mr. Maldonado was arrested, I was surprised about the arrest, but I wasn’t,” said Callihan. “I was more surprised about the fact that he was still permitted to work around children.”
In 2023, another mother reported concerns about Maldonado’s physical contact with her daughter. Administrators reportedly addressed the issue with Maldonado in November 2023.
In 2024, a mother told Assistant Principal Christine Matula she did not want her daughter placed in Maldonado’s class due to safety concerns.
Later in 2024, Craig reported to then-Principal Jennifer Harless her concerns about Maldonado’s “excessive hugging” of female students and that children were lying underneath his desk.
A November 6, 2024, email from then-Assistant Principal Cody Blair to Maldonado documents that multiple administrators had observed physical boundary concerns involving the teacher.
In December 2025, another mother told Harless and Matula about more serious misconduct by Maldonado and reported the allegations to CPS.
“Thank God for her. Only then did the ‘swift action’ Magnolia ISD repeatedly relies upon occur,” said Craig. “But swift action in December 2025 does not erase 2022, 2023, or 2024. It leaves one obvious question: Why did meaningful protective action wait until December 2025?”
Craig noted that the district treated each warning as though it existed alone. “That is the problem.”
Maybe one incident can be explained away. But when you repeatedly refuse to connect the dots and see the pattern in front of you, eventually the failure is not a lack of hindsight. It is a failure to look at the whole picture.
Craig said their requested relief focuses on accountability and prevention.
They asked for review of the administrators involved; discipline where warranted; removal from positions of authority where warranted; and meaningful training on grooming, professional boundaries, documentation, pattern recognition, escalation, and mandatory reporting.
Administrators Involved
The Craigs identified six administrators for disciplinary action but were not allowed to name them during Monday’s grievance hearing.
They asked Magnolia ISD to remove administrators Megan Baker, Jennifer Harless, Cody Blair, and Christine Matula. The first three now work in other Magnolia ISD schools; Matula is still at Magnolia Parkway Elementary.
The Craigs also asked the district to formally reprimand counselors Elisa Krug and Nicole Hill.
“We do not believe individuals who failed to recognize, connect, escalate, or appropriately respond to repeated student-safety warnings should continue to hold positions of authority over children,” the Craigs wrote in their request for relief.
“We cannot change what happened to our children,” concluded Craig. “But I respectfully ask each member of the Board to consider the message your decision will send—not only to my family, but to every parent and every child in Magnolia ISD. If the Board chooses to ignore or minimize the failures identified in this grievance, then the Board risks becoming part of the accountability failure rather than the body that corrects it.”
Magnolia ISD Defends Administrators
Assistant Superintendent for Administration Ben King spoke in defense of the administrators named in the grievance, stating that they should not be held responsible for preventing a crime they had no reason to suspect.
King noted that there are “non-sexual reasons” to redirect an elementary school teacher, “especially one who loves students,” and that at least one other employee did not attribute Maldonado’s behavior to misconduct.
He also stated that there was a “complete and utter lack of a motive” for administrators to fail to report misconduct allegations—even though the state’s Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard shows more than 200 school officials are currently under investigation for failure to report educators’ misconduct as required by law.
“We do regret the very public calls for the termination of dedicated administrators, simply because they did not presume the worst about a teacher’s character,” added King.
Magnolia ISD’s legal counsel, Morgan Beam with Thompson and Horton, argued that it would be unfair to hold administrators accountable for “conduct they had no reason to suspect.”
“Accountability is not about holding people accountable for acting on information they didn’t know,” said Beam.
Beam stated that the district bears the burden of proving good cause for termination and said “the record did not reflect” that any parent reported Maldonado for sexual misconduct before December 2025.
She complained about administrators getting “raked over the coals publicly” and told trustees they should not “allow the public to come in and bully you.”
“Leave campuses in the hands of trusted administrators hired to run them,” she added.
Trustees’ Decision
After conferring in closed session, trustees discussed their options to deny, grant, or grant in part the Craigs’ requested relief.
King told trustees that some remedies were granted or partially granted during Level 1 of the process, such as additional training.
He said disagreements remained about “how things were characterized” during Level 1 and 2, stating the district didn’t have the documentation to show if certain allegations were made to administrators.
“We need solid evidence before terminating anyone,” King added.
Board President Gary Blizzard thanked the Craigs for “standing up for your kids” before trustees voted unanimously to deny their grievance appeal.
What’s Next
“We are not backing down,” said Tayla Craig following the board’s vote. “We will continue to fight for our daughter and for every other child impacted by this situation. One more denial is simply one more nail in the coffin and one more reason we will keep pushing for accountability, transparency, and change.”
The Craigs say they are now considering legal action against the district.
“This should have ended after the first or second complaint,” said Johnson. “If the administration had acted, many innocent children could have been spared, and our district could have avoided this embarrassment. Any employee who knew what was happening and chose not to speak up should not be allowed to be employed by Magnolia ISD.”
“I never knew this was happening,” added Johnson, who was involved with PTO at Magnolia Parkway Elementary. “We thought our school was a safe space. It saddens and infuriates me deeply to learn about this now. It also makes me doubt the remaining administrators who are still there and knew what was happening.”
Magnolia ISD families with questions or concerns can contact their elected board members.
The investigation into Maldonado is ongoing.
Families whose children have encountered Maldonado are encouraged to contact the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constables Office at 281-259-6493.
In the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the Texas Education Agency for sexual misconduct.
Texas Scorecard maintains a map of known educator sexual misconduct arrests.
