An East Texas teacher and cheer coach pleaded guilty to having sex with a student and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation.
Margaret Claire Burris, 26, appeared in court Thursday to enter the plea and receive her sentence.
Burris affirmed to the judge that she had engaged in sexual intercourse with a Marshall High School student in 2024 while she was employed by the Marshall Independent School District.
She waived her rights to a grand jury and jury trial and agreed to a stipulation of evidence.
Visiting Judge Rebecca Simpson presided over the hearing in 115th District Court in Upshur County.
Judge Simpson asked Burris if she understood the gravity of the charge and the potential long-term consequences of her actions, to herself and the boy.
“Parents who send their child to school should not have to worry about this,” said Simpson.
Burris was arrested in February 2024 after police found sexually explicit texts and photos she sent to the underage student.
At the time of her arrest, Burris was married to the son of Marshall ISD School Board President Brad Burris, who reported the illicit communications.
Claire Burris was charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
On Thursday, prosecutors submitted to the court a stipulation of evidence, a felony admonishment, the Marshall Police Department’s incident report, and discovery documents.
Prosecutors noted that they had to reschedule a December 16 hearing because the state failed to notify the victim’s family. No one appeared in court Thursday to speak on behalf of the boy, but a victim impact statement was submitted to the judge.
The defense attorney submitted a letter from Wade French, a licensed sex offender treatment provider who has been counseling Burris.
Judge Simpson then accepted a plea deal agreed to by the parties, which subjects Burris to:
- 180 days in jail
- 10 years of deferred adjudication probation
- A $2,000 fine plus court costs
- 300 hours of community service
- Drug and alcohol testing
- Continued counseling with French
- Life skills classes
- Surrender of her teaching certificate
Burris does not hold a Texas teaching certificate, but she was added to the state’s Do Not Hire Registry in June 2024, under her maiden name Margaret Rizzo.
She is also prohibited from any contact with her victim and cannot be around children under the age of 17 without another adult present, except for her siblings.
Burris was remanded directly to the Upshur County Jail to begin serving her sentence.
She is among hundreds of Texas educators accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in just the past few years.
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