A longtime Plano elementary school teacher is facing new child sex crime charges following his arrest earlier this month for allegedly sexually abusing an 8-year-old female student in his classroom.
Paul Edward Campbell, 64, was arrested July 8 on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, a first-degree felony punishable by 25 years to life in prison.
On July 27, Campbell was charged with three counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony.
He has been held in the Collin County Jail without bail since July 9. A bond hearing is scheduled for July 31.
Campbell taught at Brinker Elementary in the Plano Independent School District and also staffed the district’s PASAR after-school program.
According to the original arrest affidavit, an 8-year-old girl in Campbell’s 2nd-grade class told authorities the teacher had rubbed her vagina several times when she would go to his desk to ask questions.
Another girl told police the teacher touched her private parts “many times” in the classroom and during recess and said she saw Campbell abuse two other girls.
A day after Campbell’s arrest, Plano ISD trustees held a special meeting and voted unanimously to terminate the teacher’s contract.
Campbell taught in Plano ISD for nearly 30 years and has held a Texas teaching certificate since 1987. His certification is under review by the Texas Education Agency.
The Plano Police Department issued an update on Monday announcing the new charges against Campbell.
“We want to acknowledge the courage of the children who have come forward, as well as the strength and resiliency shown by their parents throughout this difficult process,” stated Plano PD. “We recognize that disclosure can take time, and that each victim and family makes decisions about participation at their own pace.”
Texas Scorecard has requested additional information about the new charges.
Plano police said the case remains under active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Special Victims Unit Tipline at 972‑941‑2044.
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 the agency is currently investigating more than 2,500 sexual misconduct complaints and opening an average of 250 new cases each month.
