Another school locker room scandal involving student athletes forced to engage in “nude” activity has resulted in a lawsuit against a football coach and two district administrators who allegedly covered for the coach due to “political affiliations and personal agendas.”
Raul Rocha, the father of an Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District student, is suing Robert Vela High School’s Head Football Coach Ernie Alonzo.
Rocha is also suing Edinburg CISD Athletic Director Oscar Salinas and Vela High School Principal Michele Pena, but not the school district.
Allegations
The lawsuit alleges that in March 2024, Coach Alonzo ordered Rocha’s son to “perform strenuous physical exercise completely nude.”
Rocha claims that when his son “attempted to preserve any shred of dignity by covering himself with underwear,” Alonzo threatened the student and ordered him to remain nude.
“Alonzo intentionally sought out the minor plaintiff while he was in the shower and unreasonably and without justification forced him out of the shower to perform exercises for Defendant Alonzo’s own gratification,” the petition states.
“The exercise served no purpose beyond humiliation and domination,” the petition adds, noting that multiple other students were victims as well.
An amended petition filed this week alleges that Alonzo, administrators, and ECISD’s attorney met with the Rochas in December, at which time they admitted the misconduct occurred and apologized but took no corrective action to protect students from further harm.
According to the petition, attorney Ben Castillo told the family, “The discipline that was administered was not appropriate. That we agree. I agree. Everybody agrees. Coach agrees and on behalf of your son who comes to our school, I’m sorry.”
The new filing also asserts that administrators at the meeting—which included the athletic director, superintendent, and school board members—stated, “We just want to apologize to him. It actually happened.”
Rocha alleges Alonzo’s abusive “discipline” of his son was not an isolated incident.
Political Connections
Edinburg CISD hired Ernie Alonzo as Vela High School’s head football coach in February 2024. Under his leadership, the team was undefeated in district play last season. Alonzo had previously coached in ECISD and other area school districts.
The lawsuit claims Alonzo’s previous tenure at McAllen ISD was “marred by troubling allegations of inappropriate behavior” but that Alonzo was hired due to “deep ties to the powerful political machine in Edinburg” and “the patronage of a high-level athletics administrator, Oscar Salinas.”
Rocha alleges that Salinas was aware of prior complaints against Alonzo but “pushed for Alonzo’s hiring—despite credible reports of sexual misconduct at his previous employment—due to political affiliations and personal agendas.”
He also asserts that Principal Pena “knew or had reason to know of Alonzo’s dangerous proclivities. Instead of intervening, she permitted him to remain in a position of authority.”
This effort to elevate a political hire above more qualified candidates is rampant in local school districts and is one of the main factors in employees operating outside the course and scope of their official duties to illegally cover up crimes of the politically protected, even if those politically protected are potential pedophile political hires.
Rocha said his son “was victimized again and again by being forced to attend practices under the command of the very individual who violated him. The school district allowed this predator to operate unchecked.”
Investigations and Coverups
State records show that Alonzo was referred to the Texas Education Agency’s misconduct reporting portal in April 2024 and again in May 2024, from two different sources, for “miscellaneous other criminal behavior.” The TEA did not open investigations into either complaint.
The records, which only date back to September 2021, do not show any complaints filed against Alonzo by McAllen ISD.
The school district’s own police department initiated an investigation into the allegations against Coach Alonzo, but according to Rocha it was “halted by unnamed ECISD administrators, who opted instead for a toothless internal review.”
“The ECISD Police Department investigator admitted the case against Alonzo was credible. He acknowledged multiple other victims,” the lawsuit states. “Yet Alonzo was never suspended. There was no criminal referral. No public accountability. Only silence and political coverup.”
The lawsuit alleges the “coverup” was “rushed” before a new school board was sworn in “to protect the political hires and to tie the hands of the incoming board members.”
“Plaintiff contends and we believe that the Edinburg CISD would agree that assault and covering up such assaults is not within the course and scope of any district employee and as such these actions are not covered by any immunity,” the lawsuit states.
Defendants’ Response
Alonzo, Pena, and Salinas have all claimed governmental immunity from liability.
The defendants’ initial response to the lawsuit explains the incident as Alonzo disciplining several football players for “taking too long to get to their lunch period.”
“The discipline consisted of Coach Alonzo instructing Plaintiff, along with other football players, to do up/downs (i.e. football drills) in the locker room,” the response states. “After Coach Alonzo gave the verbal instruction he walked out of the locker room and did not stay to ensure the football players did the drills.”
The response makes no mention of the students being nude during the drills.
The defendants assert that Alonzo’s verbal command “did not involve force,” but if it did “it was not excessive force” and “public school teachers have the authority to use reasonable force to discipline students because they act in the parents’ role.”
“As a result, all of Plaintiff’s claims against Defendants are barred by governmental immunity … because all the alleged actions involved professional school employees exercising judgment, were discretionary acts, no Defendant used excessive force and there was no negligence resulting in bodily injury,” the response concludes.
The defendants also claim the student “was an adult at the time of the incident,” per an April 2024 ECISD police report.
Similar Suit: “Nude Jumping Jacks”
In a similar case in North Texas, a now-former Celina ISD football coach is the target of two lawsuits—along with the school district and other administrators—for his alleged illicit locker room recording of middle school student athletes as well as for making one of the boys do “nude jumping jacks” while the coach watched.
Families of 12 student athletes are plaintiffs in the first lawsuit against the district and Moore Middle School Coach Caleb Elliott.
A second lawsuit filed by three other families of student athletes also names Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bill Elliott (Caleb Elliott’s father), Celina ISD Superintendent Tom Maglisceau, and Moore Middle School Principal Allison Ginn as defendants.
Plaintiffs in Celina are seeking relief under a new law that eliminates immunity in cases of sexual misconduct against students if a school district or employee is grossly negligent or engages in intentional misconduct. The law took effect on September 1, 2025, and does not apply to misconduct that occurred before that date, such as the Edinburg allegations.
Caleb Elliott was allowed to resign following his arrest on state charges. He has since also been charged with federal crimes.
More Sexual Misconduct Lawsuits
At least 10 other lawsuits have been filed by families of children who were sexually abused by Texas school employees—including teachers, coaches, and bus drivers—under the noses of administrators.
- Prosper ISD
- Lorena ISD
- Perryton ISD
- Klein ISD
- Fort Bend ISD
- Trinity Valley School Fort Worth
- Barbers Hill ISD
- Lockhart ISD
- Lubbock ISD
- Great Lakes Academy Plano
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