A woman who sent sexually explicit texts and photos to a 16-year-old male student while she was a teacher and cheer coach at Marshall High School plans to plead guilty to a felony charge once sentencing is settled.
Margaret Claire Rizzo Burris, 25, was arrested last year and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Burris was set to plead guilty this week, but sentencing negotiations hit a snag, postponing a hearing on the plea deal until January.
According to a report by The Marshall News-Messenger, the parties at Tuesday’s plea hearing did not agree on possible jail time or probation for Burris.
Burris, who goes by her middle name, Claire, was once a student at Marshall High School, where she was a cheerleading champion and honor society member.
Police arrested Burris in February 2024 after finding explicit messages from the teacher on the underage student’s cell phone, setting off a scandal that shocked the town.
Authorities learned of the messages through Marshall Independent School District’s board president Brad Burris, who was Claire’s father-in-law at the time.
Claire began dating Brad’s son Brent Burris when she was a senior and he was a sophomore at Marshall High School. Claire graduated in 2018, Brent in 2021. Both attended East Texas Baptist University, Brad Burris’ alma mater.
The couple married in August 2023. Less than a year later, Claire was arrested for sexting a teen student. Brent is now engaged to remarry.
Some locals believe more students were involved, but no other charges were brought in the case. They also suspect Claire will receive only probation due to her family connections.
Harrison County District Attorney Reid McCain recused himself from the case due to his relationship with Brad Burris, who was also a contributor to McCain’s campaign, and with Brad’s father Carlton Burris, longtime pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Marshall.
The case was moved to Upshur County in May at the request of the defense attorney.
Claire Burris was set to enter a guilty plea in the 115th District Court in Upshur County on Tuesday.
When the parties did not agree on sentencing, Visiting Judge Rebecca Simpson rescheduled the plea hearing for January 8.
Burris remains free on an $85,000 bond. She was added to the Do Not Hire Registry in June 2024, under her maiden name Margaret Rizzo.
She is one of hundreds of Texas school employees accused of sex crimes involving students.
