HOUSTON – Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for educators convicted of sexually assaulting or having improper relationships with students to serve at least 10 years in prison, as Texas reports a surge in investigations into alleged educator misconduct.
Abbott announced the proposal during a roundtable with survivors, law enforcement officials and education leaders in Lubbock.
“I want zero victimization by inappropriate teacher-student relationships,” Abbott said.
The governor said more than 1,600 allegations of inappropriate educator-student relationships were reported last year—nearly three times the number reported the year before. Texas Education Agency data also shows the agency has opened nearly 1,800 investigations into alleged inappropriate educator-student relationships during the current fiscal year.
Investigations and allegations do not necessarily result in criminal charges or findings of misconduct.
What Abbott is proposing
Under current Texas law, an improper relationship between an educator and student is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Depending on the case, a defendant may receive probation or deferred adjudication instead of incarceration.
Abbott wants the state to establish a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for covered educator sex crimes.
His proposal would:
- Require offenders to serve at least 10 years in prison.
- Prohibit probation, community supervision or deferred adjudication in place of incarceration.
- Prevent parole or mandatory supervision before an offender has served at least 10 years.
- Require convicted offenders to register as sex offenders.
“In the past, some teachers have had sex with students and got only probation,” Abbott said. “Not anymore in Texas.”
Prosecutors would still be able to negotiate plea agreements, Abbott said, but any conviction covered by the proposed law would have to result in at least 10 years behind bars.
Houston-area cases reveal different punishments
Abbott’s announcement comes amid a series of recent Houston-area cases involving educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
In July, Houston ISD teacher Jesse Sifuentes was charged with two counts of improper relationship between an educator and student. Court records allege that Sifuentes had a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student at the High School for Law and Justice. Texas law generally prohibits educators from having sexual contact with students enrolled at their schools, even when the student is 18.
In May, former Magnolia ISD elementary school teacher Jason Maldonado was charged with improper relationship between an educator and student. Cleveland ISD teacher Ajante Hill was also charged with the same offense that month.
Former Katy ISD paraprofessional Samuel Perez was charged with online solicitation of a minor after investigators accused him of messaging and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student. Former New Caney and Humble ISD teacher Garrett Cross was charged with indecency with a child in a case involving a former middle-school student.
Most recently, former Friendswood private-school teacher Lewis Stott was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child. Police allege that the abuse of a student occurred over six years. Investigators have said there may be additional victims.
Completed Houston-area cases show that punishments can vary significantly:
- Former KIPP Houston High School teacher Preston Zimmerman received eight years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of sexual contact with a child. He must register as a sex offender.
- Former New Caney High School teacher and coach Samantha Cummings received four years in prison after being convicted of an improper relationship with a 17-year-old student.
- Former Houston ISD teacher Abdurahman Milani received seven years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child involving two students.
- Former Cy-Fair ISD paraprofessional Ennis Hernandez received nine years in prison after pleading guilty to inducing a child into sexual performance and having an improper relationship with a student.
- Former Brazoswood High School teacher Brandyn Hargrove received 10 years of probation and no prison time after pleading guilty to 12 felony counts of sexual assault and indecency involving a student. She is required to register as a sex offender for life.
- Former Houston ISD teacher Dale Vanwright received 10 years of deferred-adjudication probation after pleading guilty to indecency with a child. Several other charges, including improper relationship with a student, were dismissed.
The educators were convicted of different criminal offenses, each carrying its own punishment range. Whether Abbott’s proposed minimum would have applied to every case will depend on the final language of any legislation.
Advocate: Tough punishment comes after a child is harmed
Terri Miller, president of the National Center to Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct and Exploitation, supports stronger penalties but argues that punishment alone does not address the root of the problem.
“Making strong penalties to be a strong deterrent from predation upon children is very important,” Miller said. “But it’s a reactionary type of proposal.”
Miller said a sentence can be imposed only after a student has already been harmed. She wants Texas to adopt stronger preventive safeguards, including comprehensive employment-history reviews and better information-sharing between school districts.
Her organization advocates for laws intended to stop “passing the trash”—a term used to describe school employees suspected of misconduct being allowed to quietly resign and obtain jobs in other districts.
Miller said schools should be required to ask applicants whether they have previously been the subject of misconduct allegations, investigations or disciplinary action. She also wants former employers to be required and legally permitted to disclose relevant information.
“We want to make sure that the adults being placed in school are deemed safe and fit to serve our children,” Miller said.
Abbott acknowledged that tougher punishment is only part of the solution. He said Texas must develop safer ways for students to report warning signs, better train educators to recognize concerning behavior and ensure that TEA responds promptly to information submitted by school districts.
Survivor calls for action to protect the next child
Survivor Kyree’a Flores joined Abbott at the Lubbock roundtable and spoke about turning her experience into advocacy.
“I can’t change what happened to me, and for a long time I wished I could,” Flores said. “But I’ve learned that healing doesn’t mean pretending the pain never happened. It means deciding what you’re going to do with it.”
Flores said she hopes telling her story helps adults recognize warning signs sooner.
“I can’t go back and protect the little girl I was then,” she said. “But maybe what we’re doing today can protect the next one.”