A “recognized” Rockport teacher is accused of sexually assaulting an underage student while working for the Rockport-Fulton Independent School District in Aransas County.
Joshua Lee Nguyen, 41, was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student. Both offenses are second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
The Rockport Police Department released a statement announcing their arrest of Nguyen on December 22.
The arrest followed an investigation of a December 17 report alleging Nguyen had a sexual “relationship” with a student while he was a Rockport-Fulton ISD teacher.
Investigators determined that the alleged crimes occurred during the 2024–25 school year and into the summer of 2025.
During that time, Nguyen led the school district’s maritime science program, which he reportedly started. He also operated (and still does) a maritime vocational program he founded called the Texas Coastal Academy.
Through these programs, Nguyen had access to Rockport-Fulton ISD students off campus, after school hours, and during the summer.
Online records show Nguyen began working for RFISD in 2022. According to police, Nguyen “separated” from the school district in September 2025.
Nguyen is now the executive director of the Aransas County Navigation District, a political subdivision of the state that manages coastal facilities and 1,900 acres of dry and submerged land in the Rockport area, including several public parks and recreation sites. His father, Long Nguyen, serves as an elected ACND commissioner.
Locals claim Josh Nguyen uses ACND facilities to attract students to enroll in his academy.
Rockport Police stated that the investigation into Nguyen’s alleged sexual misconduct remains an active criminal matter and no additional details would be released at this time.
Nguyen was booked into the Aransas County Detention Center on December 22. He has since been released on bonds totaling $100,000—$50,000 for each charge.
He has held a Texas teaching certificate for trade and industrial education with a specialty in marine-related occupations since 2022.
Nguyen’s current certification is valid through May 2029, including a “Recognized” designation—a distinction awarded to “highly effective public school teachers,” according to the Texas Education Agency, for which teachers receive extra pay.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas teachers have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children. Thousands have been reported to the TEA for sexual misconduct.
