TIOGA—A family in the Tioga Independent School District is accusing an English teacher of grooming their daughter.

In accordance with TISD School Board Policy, Mary and Wiley Alexander filed a Level Three grievance against Tioga ISD on August 4th, after being dissatisfied with the outcomes of both the Level One grievance with Principal Keith Kirkland and the Level Two grievance with Superintendent Josh Ballinger earlier this summer.

The family alleges that the teacher formed an inappropriate relationship with their daughter.

The names have been changed in this reporting. 

“John Doe became our daughter’s English teacher in 2020,” said the family. “She became the Godmother of Baby Doe and babysat for the family often. After inappropriate acts and sexually related jokes between Doe and our daughter were observed, the first CPS case was filed against him. The County Sheriff investigator said it was a textbook case of ‘Grooming,’ because there was no proof of sexual contact. In October 2021, we had a face-to-face meeting with the Doe’s to ‘clear the air’ and ‘set boundaries.’”

The Alexanders also reported that the Doe family communicated with their daughter outside school hours, including late into the night and early in the morning.

“In March of 2022, the second CPS case was initiated after discovery of notes and letters signed by the Doe’s ‘Love, Dad,’ and ‘Love, Mom,’ calling [her] their daughter. Photos found showed inappropriate touch on multiple occasions. Romantic voicemails and screenshots of SnapChat messages were also found.”

Although the family met with school officials—including former Superintendent Charles Holloway and Principal Keith Kirkland—to voice their concerns, the Alexanders said the district kept the teacher on staff for another year.

“We met with Superintendent Holloway, showed him the photos and letters; he lamented over the district’s financial conundrum,” said the family. “Principal Kirkland stated he would probably NOT renew Doe’s contract for next year (2022-2023) but he did anyway. Sheriff’s investigator said Doe accused us of neglect, but he never reported us as required by law. We were never neglectful of her. He used that as a smokescreen to justify his relationship with [our daughter] to school administration who did nothing to protect our daughter for nearly two years.”

The Alexanders’ daughter left home two days after graduating from Tioga High School and now lives with John Doe and his family.

“She ran away from home 38 hours after high school graduation, moved in with Doe and his wife,” said the Alexander family. “They are living as a fantasy family. [Our daughter] cut off all communication with us, extended family and many friends. Tioga ISD refuses to fire Doe even though he violated several school board policies and the Educator Code of Ethics by having an inappropriate relationship with a then-current Tioga ISD student.”

Now, the Alexander family is preparing for a level three grievance meeting with Tioga ISD next week and is urging the district to take their concerns seriously.

He has interfered with our daughter’s education, brainwashed her, alienated her from us, and destroyed our family. He did the OPPOSITE of what a teacher should have done, and school administration does not care.

“While the District cannot speak on a specific allegation or incident due to confidentiality constraints, the District takes all allegations of educator misconduct seriously,” Ballinger told Texas Scorecard. “Once an allegation is asserted, the District endeavors to investigate all matters thoroughly and bases any action taken on the evidence discovered in the investigation process. The District works with any other agencies in a collaborative manner. The District encourages any individuals with allegations of misconduct to notify the campus administrator as soon as possible.”

Katy Marshall

Katy graduated from Tarleton State University in 2021 after majoring in history and minoring in political science.

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