SPLENDORA, Texas – Did warning signs get missed, or were they never reported at all?
That question is at the center of an unfolding situation involving a Splendora High School teacher. So far, the agencies involved are not offering clear answers.
The case stretches across three entities: Splendora ISD, Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD and the Texas Education Agency. Each plays a role in how educator misconduct is reported, tracked and investigated.
Here’s where things stand.
The Texas Education Agency depends on school districts to report serious allegations involving educators. If a district does not report concerns, the agency may never know there is an issue.
The TEA manages the state’s “Do Not Hire” registry and investigates misconduct. But in this case, it remains unclear whether past concerns tied to the teacher’s time at Coldspring-Oakhurst High School were ever reported.
Those concerns include allegations of physically touching students and telling students to fail a beginning-of-year test.
An attorney for Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD said the district is now turning over more than 200 pages of records tied to the teacher, but only after the most recent incident.
When asked whether those earlier allegations should have been reported to the state, the attorney did not answer.
There is another key detail.
That same attorney said there is no evidence Splendora ISD requested the teacher’s personnel file before hiring. Instead, the teacher requested her own records twice.
That leaves several critical questions unanswered.
- Did Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD follow reporting requirements?
- Did Splendora ISD do enough to vet the teacher before hiring?
- Did the Texas Education Agency have any knowledge of these concerns before this month?
We have asked all three agencies for answers. So far, none have provided clear responses.