A now-former Magnolia elementary school teacher faces a felony charge for alleged inappropriate physical contact with students in his classroom.
Jason Tomas Maldonado, 40, was arrested and charged with attempted improper relationship between educator and student, a third-degree felony.
Maldonado was a 2nd-grade teacher at Magnolia Parkway Elementary School in the Magnolia Independent School District. According to the district, he was placed on leave in December and later resigned.
He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on May 21. Bond was set at $150,000.
According to the Montgomery County Police Reporter, authorities began investigating Maldonado in December 2025 following a report from Child Protective Services.
Investigators with the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office interviewed students, witnesses, and school staff, and contacted families associated with the classroom.
Several students reportedly disclosed to investigators that Maldonado subjected them to inappropriate physical contact while in their classroom, including prolonged hugging and having them sit on his lap. Some students also said the teacher touched them underneath or inside their clothing.
The alleged incidents occurred during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years.
Precinct 5 Constable Chris Jones said his investigators are working with Magnolia ISD and continuing to identify and interview potential witnesses and victims.
Families whose children may have had contact with Maldonado are encouraged to contact the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constables Office at 281-259-6493.
In a statement to Texas Scorecard, Magnolia ISD spokeswoman Denise Meyers confirmed that Maldonado was placed on administrative leave on December 15, 2025, and has since resigned. She said “proper authorities were notified” at that time.
Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office notified Magnolia ISD on May 21, 2026, that it had concluded its comprehensive investigation into this matter and that the individual had been taken into custody. Throughout this time frame, Magnolia ISD continued to cooperate fully with law enforcement. The district was not at liberty to communicate this information to the public until now to avoid interfering with the ongoing law enforcement investigation.
Online records show Maldonado joined Magnolia ISD in the 2022-23 school year as a 4th-grade teacher. He previously taught in Aldine ISD.
Maldonado has held a Texas teaching certificate since 2016. His certification is currently under review by the Texas Education Agency.
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 TEA for sexual misconduct.
The TEA’s Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard shows that the agency is currently investigating more than 2,000 sexual misconduct complaints and opening an average of 250 new cases each month.
