UPDATED September 18 with information from the TEA.
A former Teacher of the Year whose certification was previously suspended is facing a felony charge and a million-dollar bond for alleged sexual misconduct involving a student.
Jamie R. Corder, 45, was arrested and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Corder taught physics at Venus High School in the Venus Independent School District.
An indictment reportedly states Corder inappropriately touched a female student at Venus High School, with court documents showing the offense occurred in December 2025.
According to a statement from Venus ISD Superintendent Howard Gatewood, Corder was placed on administrative leave when the allegations arose and is “no longer employed by the district.”
Gatewood said the district referred the matter to the Johnson County District Attorney’s office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and notified the State Board for Educator Certification and parents of the affected students.
The Texas Education Agency confirmed that Venus ISD reported Corder to all required authorities on April 28, 2026.
Corder was arrested by the Cleburne Police Department and booked into the Johnson County Jail on September 3. Bond is set at $1 million.
Online records show Corder taught in Venus ISD since the 2022-23 school year. He was named Venus High School’s Teacher of the Year in May 2025.
Corder has held a Texas teaching certificate for science since 2006, which is currently under review by the TEA.
Corder taught in Grand Prairie ISD from 2014 through 2016. In January 2017, Corder’s certification was suspended for one year.
The TEA confirmed to Texas Scorecard that the past misconduct report involved an improper relationship with a student. The agency stated that the student/victim indicated nothing had occurred and charges were dismissed, but Corder still agreed to a one-year suspension.
Several people who attended Grand Prairie schools during Corder’s tenure commented online that Corder had exhibited “inappropriate” behavior with students. “My reporting of his conduct was never taken seriously,” wrote one former student. Another commented that Corder “was always inappropriate with the girls. I reported it and nothing was done.”
In the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the TEA for sexual misconduct.
The TEA’s Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard shows the agency is currently investigating more than 3,000 sexual misconduct complaints and opening an average of 250 new cases each month.
