HOUSTON – A history teacher was fired from YES Prep Southeast Monday for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with an 11th grade female student.
The allegations were brought to the attention of school administrators.
"When we were made aware of the allegations from the parent we immediately moved forward with removing the staff member from campus and launching an investigation," principal Charlie Schmidt said.
School administrators said they fired the teacher because during the investigation they discovered he had exchanged more than 30 inappropriate text messages with the student. Officials said it had been going on for a few weeks.
"When a situation like this happens as a result of completely unprofessional behavior on the part of a staff member it stains the great name of schools like YES Prep," Schmidt said.
"I think it's wrong for any teacher to take advantage of an underage student. We send our kids here to get an education, not to be fondled with," parent Rita Zemeno said.
The school reported it to police, CPS, the Texas Education Agency and the State Board for Educator Certification. A letter was also sent home to parents that read:
A letter was sent home to parents that read:
"This letter is to inform you of an investigation that took place today on campus. This morning, our administrative team was notified that a YES Prep Southeast staff member allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with an 11th grade student from our campus. Through our investigation, we discovered evidence to validate these allegations and this afternoon the staff member's employment with YES Prep Public Schools was terminated.
We have notified the Houston Police Department, Child Protective Services (CPS), Texas Education Authority (TEA) and the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) concerning this matter.
We want to assure you that the safety of our students is our number one priority. We are committed to ensuring that all students are in a safe, secure environment at YES Prep Southeast, and we will act swiftly when this commitment is compromised."