Another Texas teacher has been charged with improper relationship with a student, a second-degree felony, and local police say there may be other victims.
New Braunfels Independent School District teacher Bryant Shephard, 41, was arrested Tuesday, according to information posted by the New Braunfels Police Department on the city’s website.
Shephard was “observed having inappropriate contact with a female student while on campus” at New Braunfels High School, where he has worked since 2017 as a special education math teacher, an “inclusion” teacher, and an assistant girls’ soccer coach.
NBHS Principal Chris Smith notified parents on March 2 that “allegations of inappropriate conduct” by an unnamed teacher (later identified by police as Shephard) were reported to the administration on March 1, and the district took “immediate action.”
Smith said the teacher was no longer employed by the district as of March 2.
New Braunfels Police said the district notified them of the incident on March 2, and detectives immediately began investigating, leading to an arrest warrant that was served by the U.S. Marshal’s Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.
Shephard was arrested in San Antonio and booked into Bexar County Jail with bond set at $250,000. He’s expected to be transferred to the jail in Comal County, where the alleged crime occurred.
Police say the investigation is ongoing, and Shephard may face additional charges.
On March 9, the State Board for Educator Certification showed Shephard’s teaching certificate is “valid.”
School principals are required to notify superintendents of misconduct allegations, and superintendents are required to report allegations to SBEC via the Texas Education Agency within seven days. Failure to report can result in civil and criminal penalties for administrators.
“The safety and well-being of our students is of utmost importance,” Smith said in his message to parents, echoing statements made by virtually every school district following the arrest of employees accused of having illegal sexual contact with students.
Texas Scorecard has reported on dozens of Texas educators accused of sex crimes involving students and other minors, and more “bad apples” are being charged almost every day.
Texas Panhandle mom Jamie Haynes, who started Texans Wake Up to inform parents about what’s happening in the public education system, began tracking educator misconduct cases after finding out through public information requests that multiple educators in her area had been investigated, including Bradley Williams, a one-time Canyon ISD employee who was charged in 2020 with indecency with a child.
