Scandal-plagued Prosper Independent School District’s Board President Drew Wilborn has resigned after being arrested Wednesday for indecency with a child by sexual contact, creating a vacancy that the board must decide how to fill.
The district announced Thursday that Wilborn had submitted his resignation “effective immediately.”
According to the announcement, district officials knew nothing about Wilborn’s alleged sexual misconduct and were shocked by his arrest.
“Neither the Prosper ISD Board of Trustees nor district administration knew anything about the allegations against Mr. Wilborn until the afternoon of Wednesday, January 25, 2023, after he was arrested. We feel the same shock as our community.”
Dallas police said his arrest stemmed from an incident reported on April 12, 2022, involving a 16-year-old girl being inappropriately touched by Wilborn while he was working as an executive pastor at Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.
A probable cause affidavit for an arrest warrant describes how Wilborn allegedly rubbed up against and grabbed the girl.
Investigators in the Dallas Police Department’s child exploitation unit also uncovered more alleged instances of misconduct by Wilborn, including inappropriate touching, comments, and social media messages.
In a statement Thursday, Antioch Church said they “immediately” notified police about the allegations in April and suspended Wilborn during the investigation, which they described as “ongoing.” The church said they later decided to terminate Wilborn’s employment.
Until he was scrubbed from Prosper ISD’s website on Thursday, Wilborn’s listing as board president indicated he still worked as a pastor at Antioch Church.
The district has been embroiled in another scandal, involving sexual abuse of students, since last August when word got out that a Prosper ISD bus driver had been arrested in May for molesting two elementary school girls for almost a year. Parents weren’t told and only learned about the abuse months later from media reports when the victims’ family sued the district.
On Monday, Wilborn and the other trustees decided to withhold information from an “independent investigation” into the sex abuse scandal and cover-up, citing the pending litigation.
Wilborn’s resignation from Prosper ISD leaves a vacant seat on the seven-member board of trustees.
The board will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, January 31, at 6 p.m. to “determine the best course of action” for filling the vacancy.
Parents say they want the new trustee to be elected by the community, not hand-picked by the board.
Since more than one year remains in Wilborn’s term, the remaining board members may fill the vacancy by appointment or by ordering a special election.
By state law, the special election would be held on the next regular election date—in this case, with the May 6 school board election.
Two Prosper ISD school board seats are already on the May ballot. Incumbent Dena Dixon and Aimee Boots have announced they are running for Place 2, while Jim Herblin and Kurt Kuehn have announced for Place 5, currently held by Debra Smith. The candidate filing deadline is February 17.
In the meantime, under the “holdover” doctrine, Wilborn could continue to perform the duties of office until a successor is sworn in.
“The remaining members of the Board of Trustees want to reassure our community that we are determined to move forward together to re-establish the trust that our community deserves.”
Allowing the community to choose Wilborn’s replacement would be a step toward rebuilding that trust.
