The current and previous superintendents of Winnsboro Independent School District are facing felony charges for failing to report suspected child abuse.
Winnsboro ISD Superintendent Aaron David Nation, 39, was charged with failure to report child abuse with intent to conceal and with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair.
The district’s previous superintendent, Brian David Wilcox, 50, was charged with two counts of failure to report child abuse with intent to conceal.
Both men were booked into the Wood County Jail on January 12 and have since been released, Nation on bonds totaling $40,000 and Wilcox on bonds totaling $30,000.
Wilcox’s wife Ashley Ayres Wilcox, 52, was also reportedly arrested in Bowie County and charged with failure to report child abuse. She worked for the district as a speech pathologist through the summer of 2025.
All three suspects previously worked in Atlanta ISD. Brian Wilcox and Ashley Wilcox joined Winnsboro ISD in 2021; Nation followed in 2022.
Nation was just named Winnsboro ISD’s superintendent on January 5.
He was appointed interim superintendent last fall after Wilcox resigned in the wake of a sex abuse scandal and cover-up involving coaches at Winnsboro High School.
In June of 2025, Winnsboro teacher and coach Nicholas Gabriel was arrested for having sex with a high school student.
Weeks later, Winnsboro High School coach Jared Lancaster was charged with failing to report Gabriel’s sexual abuse.
An arrest affidavit for Lancaster showed that he and Gabriel exchanged frequent text messages about their use of illegal drugs and sexual relations between other school staff, and openly discussed helping each other conceal their illicit activities.
Failing to make a required child abuse report with intent to conceal the abuse is a state jail felony, which is punishable by 180 days to 2 years in a state jail facility plus a fine of up to $10,000.
School superintendents and principals are also required to report alleged abuse of students or minors to the Texas Education Agency and can face jail as well as loss of their professional certification.
Nation holds a superintendent certification which is currently under review by the TEA. Wilcox’s certification expired on October 31, 2025.
Winnsboro ISD released a statement regarding the latest arrests:
The district takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our students, staff, and community. WISD has been and is fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities in their investigation. Counsel to these individuals has indicated that all will enter pleas of not guilty to the charges.
Dozens of school administrators have been referred to the TEA for failing to report abuse allegations, but few superintendents have been charged with this crime.
