Rockwall ISD in turmoil after teacher accused of sexual assault returns to school

Just days before the start of the new school year on Monday, the Rockwall Independent School District was thrown into chaos when two parents disclosed details of an investigation into their son's preschool teacher for alleged sexual assault.

A grand jury in Rockwall did not indict the Springer Elementary School teacher in March after hearing evidence. The child's parents, Corey and Tim Booth, said the investigations by the sheriff's office and the district attorney's office were flawed.

The teacher was scheduled to begin teaching preschool at Springer Elementary this week. School officials announced Wednesday that she had been placed on leave for her own safety and was not at school.

The teacher did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment this week. The Dallas Morning News is not naming the teacher because she has not been disciplined by the district or charged with a crime.

A letter to parents on Sunday said there had been “a significant number of threats against our campus staff and administration via social media and email.” As a result, the school announced it would increase police presence ahead of the first day of school.

The teacher was on leave for five months while the allegations were investigated, but returned to Springer Elementary in April after the grand jury declined to indict.

“Four agencies reviewed this case and the grand jury, comprised of independent Rockwall County residents, rejected the case, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support a reasonable suspicion for prosecution,” Rockwall District Attorney Kenda Culpepper said in a statement.

Rockwall ISD said the case was investigated by the county sheriff's office, child protective services center, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the district attorney's office and the grand jury.

“The case was thoroughly investigated with the assistance of the Child Advocacy Center,” the Rockwall Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The Booths are convinced that the teacher abused their son. On August 8, the parents posted their concerns in a picture on Facebook describing their son's allegations. The post received thousands of reactions and comments and was shared nearly 9,000 times.

The parents also distributed their statement in a letter to parents and staff at Springer Elementary and left the letters on cars at a school event last week.

“Even though the prosecution did not file charges, that does not mean there was no evidence,” the Booths wrote in another Facebook post on August 9. “In fact, the case was not dismissed, but the only option left was to retry her if and when further evidence comes to light.”

Community concerns

Following parents' online comments, some families have reconsidered enrolling their children in the school district, according to comments from the school district board of trustees Wednesday evening.

At the meeting, more than 100 parents, community members and victims of sexual abuse crowded into a meeting room to share their experiences and express their displeasure with school administration and district officials.

Speakers called for investigations of district leaders, changes in how parents are notified of allegations against teachers, more transparency in the investigation of sexual assault cases, increased monitoring of schools through security cameras, and the replacement of some school administration positions.

Some of those present defended the teacher and called for more trust in the officials and the investigation.

With tears, raised voices and angry testimony, community members expressed their distrust of the district and demanded more transparency.

“This district, through its policies and actions and inactions, has caused the public to distrust the process,” Jennifer Martin, a parent in the district, said at the meeting.

Kendrick Lawrence, a pastor who attended the district's schools as a child, said Wednesday his child should have been in the accused teacher's class. He learned of the allegations from protesting parents and said he was not provided with a suitable substitute teacher for his preschool child.

“You haven't told us anything about what happened,” Lawrence said at the meeting. “I'm just asking for a decision. I'm not willing to take that risk. … I don't know if I'm guilty or innocent, but you can't force the decision on me and tell me that's all I can do. … Rockwall can definitely do better.”

Parents speak out online

Corey and Tim Booth wrote in their Facebook post that their son told them in October that a teacher had exposed herself in front of him at Springer Elementary School.

The Booths said in their post that their son later told them he was sexually assaulted by the teacher while he was being held back from recess. On November 1, the parents reported the alleged assault to police and an investigation was launched. Rockwall County has said the district attorney's office has received requests from The news for files related to the case.

The parents were told by a sheriff's office investigator that a school official reviewed video footage that appeared to show two boys being kept away from class, their statement said.

The Booths said the teacher was placed on paid administrative leave on Nov. 1. On March 27, they said, a grand jury in Rockwall heard the case and declined to indict the teacher. Parents said the school's video footage was not presented to the grand jury.

Corey Booth said The news on August 13 that investigators told her they had obtained surveillance footage during the investigation and later told her it had been deleted.

At Wednesday's school board meeting, Michael Hillman, the district's safety director, said Rockwall ISD stores footage until the cameras' storage is full, typically 30 to 40 days. When storage is full, the system automatically overwrites the oldest video footage, Hillman said.

“Any allegation that anyone with ties to Rockwall ISD deleted videos or intentionally withheld or destroyed evidence requested by subpoena is untrue,” Hillman said at Wednesday's board meeting.

Parents have other concerns about the investigation, saying teachers were not properly interviewed, police did not search the accused teacher's phone for evidence and their son was not examined by a nurse in a timely manner after the alleged sexual assault.

Corey Booth said she asked to have her son examined by a nurse on Nov. 2 after the alleged sexual assault. She said child welfare services initially told her they do not perform sexual assault examinations on boys.

Corey Booth said her son was examined after persistent requests to investigators about three weeks after the investigation began. She said no physical evidence of a sexual assault was found, but she believes the examination was conducted too late to be accurate. According to Texas Health Resources, a medical-forensic examination should take place within five days of a sexual assault if it is reported to authorities.

Culpepper, the Rockwall district attorney, said that because of the nature of the case, she was not permitted to answer questions about those concerns.

“The law does not allow us to release confidential information about a child sexual abuse investigation,” Culpepper wrote in a statement to The news.

The Booths said the school's principal assured them they would be notified if the teacher was reinstated. But in April, they were surprised when their son's sister told them she had returned. They were not notified, the parents said, and took their children out of school the day they learned of her return.

“We wish we had said something right away because now this teacher is preparing to start a new school year with new, unsuspecting students and families,” the Booth family said in a statement.

Parents demand action

Last Saturday, dozens of people protested outside the courthouse in Rockwall, some with signs and others with their children. Others protested outside the school Monday morning or spoke at the board meeting Wednesday.

Jennifer Martin and other parents at the board meeting pointed to previous allegations against teachers and said there are systematic problems in the way the school district handles allegations of sexual harassment.

“I think this district needs to do a better job of informing parents about what is happening to their children. You can say it's an accusation, but parents should know,” Martin said.

Joey Byrum, the district's human resources director, told parents and school officials Wednesday that the teacher did not return to the classroom until April 2 after “independent, thorough investigations” found that the allegations were not supported by evidence.

“Due to employee privacy rights, the district was unable to notify parents that the teacher had returned from administrative leave,” Byrum said.

The school district emphasizes that it has fully complied with the investigation, including with regard to subpoena and court order laws.

“When the employee was placed on leave, the district immediately escalated the matter to the appropriate authorities,” the district said in a press release. “Because four independent investigations found that the allegations were not supported by evidence, it was reasonable to assume that the alleged abuse or neglect did not occur.”

Breaking news reporter Aria Jones contributed to this report.