Texas teachers continue to make headlines for sex crimes involving students and other child victims.
Last year, Texas Scorecard highlighted 100 teachers and school employees charged with crimes ranging from sexually abusing underage students to grooming kids for sex using social media to creating child pornography.
Under Texas law, it’s also a separate crime for any public or private school employee to engage in sexual contact with a student of any age or to solicit sexual activity with a student using the internet or electronic messaging.
The offense of improper relationship between educator and student is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison.
In 2024, the number of educator sex-crime stories held steady—at least, the ones the public learned about.
An analysis released in December by Texas Education 911 revealed that a majority of educator misconduct reports are never investigated by the Texas Education Agency.
From September 2021 through July 2024, TEA received 1,028 reports of sexual misconduct in schools but declined to investigate 73 percent of the reports. Another 119 reports were for sexual misconduct that occurred outside of school. Combined, sexual misconduct accounted for 10 percent of educator misconduct reports.
Another 16 percent of the reports—1,412—were for improper relationships between teachers and students.
These “bad apples” represent a tiny fraction of Texas educators, yet the system is still failing to protect children from sexual predators who seek access to victims within our schools.
This Year’s “Bad Apples”
Below is a sampling of Texas educators accused or convicted of sex crimes in 2024. This year’s summary also notes whether the educator involved was certified.
January
Bastrop ISD: Cedar Creek High School history teacher James Byrd resigned after he was arrested in an underage sex sting and charged with online solicitation of a minor. Certified
North Lamar ISD: Frank Stone Middle School teacher Kreagan Scott was charged with sexually assaulting a family friend twice in 2022 when the boy was 17. Noncertified
Leander ISD: Leander High School special education teacher Michael Winters was charged with improper relationship between educator and student. Certified
Marfa ISD: Substitute teacher Sonya Murillo pleaded guilty to producing child pornography after federal authorities found Snapchat videos of her sexually abusing a minor. Noncertified
Hays CISD: Hays High School paraprofessional Danielle Dunn was charged with child grooming and having an improper sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. Certified
Plano Great Lakes Academy: Teacher Jacob Allred was charged with grooming a 15-year-old female student by sending explicit messages via the Discord app. Allred agreed to a permanent voluntary surrender of his Texas teaching certificate in lieu of disciplinary proceedings.
Edgewood ISD: Miguel Nava Jr., geometry teacher at Kennedy High School, was charged with distribution of harmful material to a minor and improper relationship between educator and student after admitting he sent nude photos of himself to a female student and kissed the girl in his classroom. Noncertified
February
Alto ISD: Blake Attaway, a teacher and coach at Alto High School, was arrested for improper relationship between student and educator. Certified
Corrigan-Camden ISD: Corrigan High School teacher Anthony Jernigan was charged with multiple counts of online solicitation of a minor and improper relationship between educator and student after sending sexually explicit messages, pictures, and video to students via Snapchat. Noncertified
Klein ISD: Klein Oaks High School teacher Sebastian Baraldi was arrested for possession of child pornography after authorities found a file on his computer labeled “School Art Project” that was filled with child sexual abuse material. Certified
IDEA Public Schools–Austin: Substitute teacher Alexander Jeffrey Hill was charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact after three female students told another teacher he touched them inappropriately. Noncertified
Katy ISD: Paetow High School football coach Lonnie Teagle pleaded guilty to improper relationship between educator and student and was sentenced to 120 days in jail after admitting he sexually harassed, grabbed, and “spanked” female students as young as 15 years old while they were at school. Certified
Leander ISD: Rouse High School teacher and JV soccer coach Brandon Hopp was arrested for sexual assault of a 16-year-old student. District officials delayed notifying parents about the misconduct allegations. Certified
Highland Park ISD: Melinda Steward, a special education paraprofessional at Highland Park Middle School, resigned after she was found with an “inappropriate” image while on campus. Steward’s Texas teaching certificate is expired but contains a reprimand—a formal censure that does not affect the validity of a certificate.
Point Isabel ISD: Omar Vera, a paraprofessional at Point Isabel Early College High School, was charged with five counts of distributing harmful material to a minor. Certified
Marshall ISD: Marshall High School teacher and coach Margaret Claire Rizzo Burris was charged with improper relationship between teacher and student after authorities found sexually explicit messages and photos from the 23-year-old teacher on a 16-year-old male student’s cell phone. Other students may have been involved.
Burris and her husband are both graduates of Marshall—Claire in 2018 and Brent in 2021. Police learned of the messages through Marshall ISD school board president Brad Burris, who is the teacher’s father-in-law. Harrison County District Attorney Reid McCain recused himself from the case due to his relationship with Brad Burris. Noncertified
Wills Point ISD: Technology technician Kenneth Faling was arrested for indecency with a child who was not a student. Noncertified
Judson ISD: Mark Mallow, a band teacher at Woodlake Hills Middle School, was sentenced to 131 years in state prison after he was arrested twice and found guilty on 20 counts of possessing and promoting child pornography using Snapchat and other apps. Mallow’s teaching certificate was permanently revoked.
Georgetown ISD: Jakov Barrientos, assistant band director at Forbes Middle School, was arrested for indecency with a child. Barrientos previously taught at numerous other schools in Central and South Texas. Certified
March
Ysleta ISD: Eastwood High School math teacher Ryan Anthony Avalos was charged with improper relationship between educator and student. Certified
Northwest ISD: Pike Middle School teacher David Goggins was charged with sexual assault of a child. The alleged victim was a student at Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD where Goggins previously taught. Certified
Academy of Accelerated Learning–Houston: Teacher Reginald Van Long was charged with sexually assaulting multiple middle school students who he sent sexually explicit messages to via Instagram. Long’s teaching certificate expired before he committed the alleged crimes.
Agua Dulce ISD: Agua Dulce High School teacher Jaden Charles was charged with two counts of grooming and two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child after she was accused of selling vapes to students and having sex with as many as 12 boys. Noncertified
La Joya ISD: Juan Munoz, a 14-year Palmview High School special education teacher, pleaded guilty to federal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor after admitting he solicited over 50 children via the internet for nude images and video. Munoz received a reprimand on his teaching certificate in 2014; his certification is now revoked.
April
Klein ISD: Klein Cain High School cosmetology teacher Kedria Grigsby was charged with three counts of trafficking a child and three counts of compelling prostitution of children as part of a sex-trafficking operation run by the teacher’s son Roger Magee. Noncertified
Allen ISD: Allen High School science teacher Albert Najera was placed on “indefinite leave” after he “potentially engaged in inappropriate interactions” with a student. Najera agreed to permanently surrender his teaching certificate in lieu of disciplinary proceedings.
Mesquite ISD: Vanguard High School automotive teacher Cesar Jimenez was charged with improper relationship between educator and student. Certified
Cy-Fair ISD: Kayden Burbank, a Cy-Fair High School teacher and assistant football coach, was arrested for having an improper sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student after his girlfriend discovered text messages between the teacher and student. Certified
Southwest Public Schools: Mangum Elementary School art teacher Michael Bourquin was charged with online solicitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. Certified
Southside ISD: Losoya Middle School social studies teacher Ernest Herrera was arrested for improper relationship between educator and student after he admitted to sexual contact with a 13-year-old student, claiming they had “developed a relationship.” Certified
North East ISD: Andrew McCown, a football coach and math teacher at Roosevelt High School, was arrested for having an improper relationship with a 17-year-old female student. Certified
Perryton ISD: Football coach and athletic director Cole Underwood was charged with sexual assault of a child after he was caught having sex with a 15-year-old female athlete in his office, which allegedly occurred more than a dozen times, and exchanging sexual messages with her on Snapchat.
The married teacher was later charged with a federal sex crime and sued by the victim’s parents, who claim Underwood was nicknamed “Perv” at his prior coaching job in Amarillo ISD. Certified
Mansfield ISD: Timberview High School theater teacher Danielle Garcia was fired after she was accused of sexual misconduct with students. Certified
Mathis ISD: Football coach and athletic director Roger Masters was fired after police discovered “disturbing, unprofessional, and inappropriate” messages he sent in the past to a former student. Masters’ teaching certificate is suspended until November 2025.
May
Tyler ISD: JBraylon Fears, a teacher’s aide at Boulter Middle School, was charged with online solicitation of a minor, employment of a child for sexual performance, and two counts of improper relationship between educator and student, after he admitted to touching students and soliciting photos from them via Snapchat. Noncertified
Krum ISD: Band director Carol Turner was indicted on nine counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact and two counts of sexual assault of a child for alleged crimes against a male student dating back to 1996 through 1998. Certified
Spring ISD: Valerie Mata, a theater teacher at Dekaney High School, was arrested for having an improper relationship with a student starting when he was a sophomore, which involved engaging in sex acts at school and exchanging sexually explicit messages, photos, and videos. Certified
Gatesville ISD: Christine Cockrell, an eighth grade teacher at Gatesville Junior High, was charged with indecency with a child and possession of child pornography with intent to distribute, after she exchanged sexually explicit messages with a 15-year-old student and sent him nude photos on Instagram. Certified
Klein ISD: Klein Forest High School teacher Isidoro Guerrero was fired after he was accused of sexual misconduct while on a “non-sanctioned trip” outside of school with his Agricultural Science students. Certified
Alvin ISD: Chason Bailey, an educational aide who worked with special needs students at EC Mason Elementary School, was arrested after a grand jury indicted him on charges of indecency with a child and improper relationship between educator and student. Certified
Forney ISD: Forney High School girls’ softball coach Pat Eitel was placed on leave after he was accused of making unwanted contact with a student during class. Certified
Lampasas ISD: Lampasas High School girls’ basketball coach Mark Myers pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges related to improper communications with students. Certified
Katy ISD: Tompkins High School teacher James Stone was charged with possession and production of child pornography. Stone’s wife is the principal of Katy ISD’s Taylor High School. Certified
Lamar CISD: Adrienne Harborth, a music teacher at Gray Elementary, filmed sexually explicit videos of herself while on campus and sent them to her boyfriend, who she said made the videos public as revenge porn. Certified
Lorena ISD: A federal judge allowed a civil suit to proceed against Lorena Primary School Principal April Jewell relating to the case of pre-K substitute teacher Nicolas Crenshaw, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to sexually abusing 4- and 5-year-old girls in his classroom. Noncertified
June
Alto ISD: Teacher’s aide Ashlee Marie Brandon, a paraprofessional at Alto Middle School, was arrested for sexual assault of a child that occurred outside of school. Noncertified
IL Texas–College Station: International teacher Jose Hernandez Grimaldo was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a 12-year-old student. The Spanish teacher had previously been fired for touching students but was rehired and transferred to a different campus. Certified (Visiting International Teacher)
Retired: Retired teacher Corey Westbrook pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possessing child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. He was found with three to four terabytes of child sexual abuse material showing girls as young as 7 years old being forced to engage in sexual conduct with adult men and “sadistic and masochistic” depictions of sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. He told the court he had been “actively looking at child pornography since 1995.” Westbrook has lifetime teaching certifications in elementary and special education dating back to 1980.
Splendora ISD: Isaac Silva, a paraprofessional at Peach Creek Elementary, and Anthony Jackson, a paraprofessional at Splendora High School, were arrested for possession of child pornography. Jackson was charged with five counts of possessing 50 or more visual depictions of children engaging in sexual conduct, a first-degree felony. The two men lived together. Noncertified
Providence Christian School: Matthew Harmon, a teacher and coach at Providence Christian in Dallas from 2004 to 2007, was arrested for the sexual assault of a child who was an eighth-grade student at the school at the time. The victim alleged Harmon started by tutoring her and buying her gifts, then engaged in sexual intercourse with her when she was around 16 years old at his apartment and various hotels.
An independent investigator found that Providence missed allegations of prior misconduct when hiring Harmon, and “red flags” spotted by staff members were not reported to leadership or were “handled by leadership in a defensive manner.”
Denton ISD: Denton High School assistant football coach Justin Carter was arrested in an underage sex sting and charged with online solicitation of a minor. A mom in Ponder ISD, where Carter previously worked, said she tried to warn Denton ISD about inappropriate behavior by the teacher. Certified
Wills Point ISD: Teacher Amanda Blakely Green resigned after she was charged with two counts of online solicitation of a minor and possessing child pornography. Noncertified
July
Houston ISD: Tanglewood Middle School teacher Dale Vanwright was arrested for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student after exchanging explicit video calls with the girl. He was charged with sexual performance by a child, indecency with a child by contact, and improper relationship between educator and student. Noncertified
Texarkana ISD: Texas High School band teacher Brandon Sams was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor. Sams admitted to engaging in sexual activity with several of his underage students and using social media and messaging apps to communicate with them. Certified
August
Carlisle ISD: Elementary school security guard Keith McFarland was charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact. The victim was not a student at the school.
Altanta ISD: Taureaus Maxwell, a teacher and coach, was sentenced to 60 years in state prison for using Snapchat to solicit nude pictures from male students and fondling the boys at school. A jury convicted Maxwell on four counts each of indecency with a child by contact and improper relationship between educator and student. Maxwell had been fired in 2021 from his job as a Bowie County probation officer due to allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior while conducting urinalysis tests. Noncertified
Austin ISD: Rodney Childers, a band teacher at LBJ Early College High School, was charged with online solicitation of a minor, improper relationship between educator and student, possession of child pornography, and indecency with a child. Childers admitted to sending students nude photos and videos, some of which were taken in his school office. Certified
Fort Bend ISD: Dona Pettway, who was contracted to teach karate at Quail Valley Middle School, was charged with sexually assaulting a female student and possessing more than 50 images of child porn. Noncertified
Round Rock ISD: Domingo Perez, a science teacher at Stony Point High School, was charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact and possession of 50 or more images or videos of child pornography. Certified
Houston ISD: Jesus Zamora—who worked at Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, a top-ranked school for girls in 6th–12th grade—was arrested on two counts of sexual assault of a child between the ages of 14 and 17 years. The alleged victim said Zamora had sex with her in a classroom closet every other week and in his office twice a week, and sent her explicit photos of himself using Snapchat.
September
Kress ISD: An unnamed teacher was placed on administrative leave over allegations of “improper conduct” with a student.
Hardin ISD: Hardin High School teacher Jahmall Thomas was charged with improper relationship between educator and student involving a female victim who attended school in a different district. Certified
Freer ISD: Fourth-grade teacher David Hunter was charged with possession of child pornography featuring a child younger than 10 years old. Certified
Edna ISD: Logan O’Connor, a high school football coach and elementary teacher, was arrested for sexual misconduct with a student and charged with online solicitation of a minor, improper relationship between educator and student, and sexual performance of a child. O’Connor’s father is Edna ISD’s superintendent, and his mother is an elementary teacher in the district. Certified
Conroe ISD: KeSean Carter, an instructional paraprofessional at Oak Ridge High School, was charged with sexual assault of a child. Carter previously worked as a substitute for the district from January through May 2024.
Baytown Christian Academy: Teacher Hespero Jingco was charged with super aggravated sexual assault of a child following accusations he sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl at his wife’s home daycare. Noncertified
Vanguard College Preparatory School–Waco: Teacher Todd Wyatt Bogan was charged with attempting to have an improper relationship between an educator and a student. Bogan admitted to making “statements of an inappropriate sexual nature to the child in hopes for a sexual relationship.” Noncertified
Socorro ISD: Llojan Almaraz, a Clarke Middle School math teacher, was arrested twice for grooming a 12-year-old student, sexually abusing her in his truck, and sending her explicit text messages and photos. Almaraz was charged with child grooming, improper relationship between educator and student, indecency with a child, and sexual performance by a child. Certified
October
Allen ISD: Austin White, a teacher at Preston Elementary School, was placed on “indefinite leave” following accusations that he engaged in “inappropriate communication/conduct” with a student at Curtis Middle School, prompting other students to come forward alleging inappropriate behaviors. White agreed to permanently surrender his teaching certificate in lieu of disciplinary proceedings.
North East ISD: Churchill High School teacher John Ghrist was charged with online solicitation of a minor after exchanging nude pictures and sexually explicit messages with a 15-year-old student via Snapchat. Certified
Socorro ISD: School security officer David Hernandez was arrested for indecency with a child after he allegedly inappropriately touched a 15-year-old female student. Noncertified
Socorro ISD: School bus driver Rodolfo Laureano III was arrested for indecency with a child by contact after groping a 10-year-old female student, which was captured on bus surveillance video. Noncertified
Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD: More than two years after he resigned over allegations of sexually assaulting a female student, Clemens High School teacher David Rios was charged with 10 felony counts, including aggravated sexual assault of a child, four counts of sexual assault of a child, and five counts of improper relationship between educator and student. Certified
Anson ISD: School janitor Daril Martin Gonzales was federally charged with using artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit content featuring students’ faces. Gonzales moonlighted as a sports and cheerleading photographer and allegedly used AI to superimpose the faces of students onto adults in sexually explicit videos and onto AI-generated nude bodies. Noncertified
Comal ISD: Jennifer Massey, an art teacher at Davenport High School, was charged with improper relationship between educator and student after police caught her having sexual contact with an underage boy in a home under construction. Certified
Normangee ISD: An unnamed teacher was fired after receiving a written reprimand in October for using Snapchat to communicate with a student.
Houston ISD: Westbury High School Assistant Principal Bryan Tigner was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a 20-year-old former student. Certified
Carroll ISD: Carroll Middle School teacher Angela Dawn Barnes was charged with sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student. Barnes previously taught PE in Keller. Certified
Premier High School–Waco Charter: Teacher Octavio Sanchez was arrested for improper relationship between educator and student. After Sanchez was arrested for sexually abusing a child, a former student came forward and told police Sanchez inappropriately touched her and touched himself in a sexual manner in front of her. Noncertified
Bastrop ISD: Roy Franks, who taught at Cedar Creek High School, was sentenced to two years of community supervision after committing sex crimes against students in 2021 and 2022. Franks pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault by contact. Two charges of improper relationship between educator and student were dismissed as part of a plea deal. Noncertified
November
Hardin ISD: Chad Dwight Barrett, a principal at Hardin Junior High School, was charged with possession and promotion of child pornography after he sent an inappropriate video to a student at another district school. Certified
KIPP–Houston: KIPP Houston High School science teacher Preston Zimmerman was charged with two counts of indecency with a child, four counts of improper relationship with a student, and two counts of sexual performance by a child. He’s accused of inappropriately touching several 16- and 17-year-old male students on multiple occasions in his Human Body Systems classroom. Noncertified
Fort Bend ISD: An unnamed teacher at Quail Valley Elementary resigned after an investigation was launched regarding allegations of “inappropriate conduct.”
December
Henderson ISD: Henderson High School teacher Kathryn Prior was charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact, improper relationship between educator and student, and possession of child pornography after she allegedly groped a male student and sexted him on Instagram. Noncertified
Lewisville ISD: Alainee Simonson, a teacher at Lewisville High School’s Killough campus, was charged with sexual assault of a child and having an improper relationship with a student. Simonson allegedly invited a 16-year-old student to live with her and sexually assaulted him dozens of times. The victim told police he had sex with Simonson over 40 times and was worried that if he refused, she would reveal his immigration status. She previously taught in Keller ISD and authored a children’s book. Certified
Fort Worth ISD: Juan Cobierre Johnson, a custodian at McLean 6th Grade Center, was charged with sexual assault of a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14.
Keller ISD: Andrew Giles, a recently hired photography teacher at Fossil Ridge High School, was “placed on leave in October and has since resigned.” Giles previously taught at Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth ISD, where he faced allegations of inappropriate conduct with students, including sexual assault of a female he photographed. Giles was reported to the TEA in October 2023 for having an “inappropriate relationship” with a student, but TEA did not open an investigation. A complaint was filed with Fort Worth police in July, after Giles was gone from the district. Certified
Dallas ISD: Adamson High School Band Director Sean Turner was charged with possession of pornography featuring a child younger than 10 years old—a first-degree felony. Certified
Leander ISD: Retired principal Curtis John Locklear, who worked at Block House Creek Elementary from 1995 until 2008, was charged with felony possession of child porn. Locklear currently lives in Montgomery County and works as an author, musician, and “positive education consultant.” Certified
Wall ISD: Assistant band director Joshua Carroll was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for possessing and producing child porn. He was caught sending sexually explicit messages and images to several underage female students via TikTok and other apps and asking the girls to share explicit pictures. Certified
Waco ISD: Roosevelt Alexander, a teacher’s aide at the G.L. Wiley Opportunity Center, was arrested after a 16-year-old student reported he showed her an explicit video of himself in class. He was charged with displaying harmful material to a minor, a Class A misdemeanor.
Goose Creek ISD: Joshua Hockless, a former substitute teacher at E.F. Green Junior School, was charged with online solicitation of a minor more than a year after he was reported for sending a female student a nude video of himself and asking the girl to send him explicit photos. The girl’s mother suspects the response may have been delayed because the suspect’s father was a Baytown police officer. Pasadena ISD hired Hockless after the investigation was launched but later let him go after learning about the allegations from the media. Noncertified
Elgin ISD: Elgin High School coach Devin Anderson was charged with improper relationship between educator and student and possession of child pornography. He previously coached basketball at Cumberland Academy. Certified
Houston ISD: Manuel Ponce, a one-time “Teacher of the Year” at Sutton Elementary, was sentenced to life in state prison for sexually abusing multiple girls in his second-grade classroom over the course of two school years. Certified
Copperas Cove ISD: Copperas Cove High School Band Director Lawrence Dale Varela-Halbert was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child dating back to 2021, when he taught at Lee Junior High School where the student he allegedly victimized attended. Certified
Texas Scorecard will continue to track cases of taxpayer-funded Texas teachers and school employees charged with victimizing students and other children.
