The Tioga Independent School District Board of Trustees asked a teacher accused of grooming a now-former student to resign in the Monday evening school board meeting.
Given the district’s financial conditions, the school board members felt it would be too expensive to fire the teacher, instead asking him to tender his resignation—which he did during the meeting.
Background
Parents Mary and Wiley Alexander allege that the teacher in question—Brad Strickland—formed an inappropriate relationship with their daughter that included speaking with her outside of school hours late into the night and sending romantic messages via the social media app Snapchat.
According to the Alexanders, “the County Sheriff investigator said it was a textbook case of ‘Grooming,’ but there was no proof of sexual contact.”
The Alexanders’ daughter left home two days after graduating from Tioga High School and now lives with Strickland and his family.
Outcome
“The Tioga ISD School Board agreed that teacher Brad Strickland violated multiple school board policies and educator code of ethics standards over the last two years while grooming our daughter and alienating her from us, her extended family and friends,” Mary told Texas Scorecard.
Rather than firing him, the Board asked for Strickland’s resignation which he tendered during last night’s School Board meeting. The school’s attorney cited the district’s financial condition and the fact that the termination process would take several months as the reasons for not firing him. This is another case of ‘passing the trash.’ Hopefully Strickland will not be able to work in any other school districts in the future. He certainly does not belong in the classroom or on any campus.
“I heard what some of the teachers in that district said,” commented DFW activist Kyle Sims after the Monday meeting. “And it really amazes me that the grooming in these districts is either covered up or ignored by the majority of people.”
“When are we going to get back to protecting our children?” Sims questioned. “Nobody wants to face the facts that our children are being sought after. They are being groomed. They’re being indoctrinated.”
“Many of us are sitting back watching this happen right before our eyes and doing nothing about it,” said Sims. “We’re losing the next generation because we are complacent in our actions. We need all hands on deck. We need people in the trenches.”
Parents—including Mary and Wiley Alexander—are calling for an inspector general to provide independent oversight of the state’s public education system.
The Tioga ISD school board and Superintendent Josh Ballinger did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment before publication.
