Jeanathan Michael, a former special education teacher at Crosby Elementary, was arrested on May 29, 2026, following allegations of violent child abuse. The charges involve physical assaults on students and claims of sexual misconduct within the Forney Independent School District.
The armbar takedown and pinning of an 8-year-old
The criminal charges against Jeanathan Michael stem from two specific violent encounters involving special education students in early 2026. According to arrest affidavits, Michael allegedly grabbed a student by the arm and twisted their wrist,executing an armbar takedown before shoving the child into a bookshelf during January or February.
In a separate incident, the report says Jeanathan Michael pulled a child to the ground with such force that the student nearly struck a table. Michael then allegedly pinned the 8-year-old student using his knee. These physical assaults were accompanied by claims from staff members that Michael engaged in both physical and sexual abuse of students at Crosby Elementary.
Michael Roell's 2016 acquittal at Hudson Middle School
The current crisis in Forney ISD is compounded by the discovery that Jeanathan Michael previously operated under the name Michael Roell.. As the report says, while working at Hudson Middle School in the Garland ISD in 2016, Roell faced charges of indecency involving a child with sexual contact. Although a Dallas County jury eventually acquitted him,the allegations remained a permanent part of his professional shadow .
This history highlights a recurring vulnerability in educational hiring:the gap between legal acquittal and professional suitability. Because Jeanathan Michael struggled to find work following the 2016 allegations,his employment at Crosby Elementary suggests either a failure in the background check process or a decision by Forney ISD to overlook a highly contested history.
The April firing of the Crosby Elementary principal
The fallout from the allegations against Jeanathan Michael extended to the school's leadership. In April 2026, the principal of Crosby Elementary was fired, coinciding with the period when Michael was removed from his teaching position. This administrative purge suggests that the failures at the school were not limited to a single rogue employee but may have involved a breakdown in oversight.
The timing of the principal's termination indicates that Forney ISD officials may have identified systemic negligence in how special education students were monitored or how staff complaints were handled before the Texas Rangers intervened in May.
Councilman James Traylor's appeal to the Texas Attorney General
The political response has been swift,with Forney City Councilman James Traylor demanding a high-level investigation. Traylor has contacted the Texas Attorney General's Office to determine how Forney ISD could employ an individual with such a problematic background, describing the district's hiring failure as unacceptable.
Several critical questions remain unanswered by the current reporting. It is unclear whether Forney ISD was aware that Jeanathan Michael had previously used the name Michael Roell during the vetting process. Additionally, the report does not specify if any students filed formal complaints prior to the January 2026 incidents, or what specific evidence led to the firing of the Crosby Elementary principal.
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