Another Texas teacher has been arrested and charged with sexual misconduct involving a student.
Ruel “JR” Barbee, 53, was jailed Thursday on a charge of improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
A parent confirmed to Texas Scorecard that as of last month, Barbee was an art teacher for Newman International Academy, a charter school based in Arlington.
He reportedly worked at the district’s Gibbins campus, which serves 7th through 12th grade students.
Newman officials have not yet responded to a request for comment.
State records show Barbee was issued an educational aide teaching certificate in 2017, which expired in 2022.
Barbee was booked into Tarrant County Jail on February 6 and is being held on a $15,000 bond.
According to his LinkedIn account, Barbee previously worked at IL Texas in North Richland Hills.
He was also a youth pastor at Oasis Community Worship Center.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas teachers have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children.
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