The Celina Independent School District (Celina ISD) board granted Superintendent Tom Maglisceau a contract extension on Monday night. This decision followed several months marked by significant turmoil and numerous accusations of misconduct involving various district employees.

Board Decision Amidst District Turmoil

The contract renewal passed with a 5-2 vote from the board members. This action occurred after a challenging period where five district employees faced administrative leave over allegations of misconduct within the last five months.

Case of Football Coach Caleb Elliott

A major point of contention involved Caleb Elliott, a history teacher and football coach at Moore Middle School. He was arrested following accusations that he secretly photographed boys while they were showering and undressing in the locker room.

District officials confirmed that Elliott resigned from his position and voluntarily surrendered his teaching license after his arrest. Subsequently, two lawsuits were filed against Celina ISD alleging that Elliott engaged in a sexual relationship with a student while coaching and teaching at Celina High School during the 2022-23 academic year.

These lawsuits further claimed that district leadership transferred Elliott to Moore Middle School instead of reporting the alleged abuse to proper authorities. Superintendent Maglisceau is named as a defendant in one of these two legal filings.

Other Educator Misconduct Cases

Following Caleb Elliott’s arrest, his father, longtime Celina High School football coach Bill Elliott, stepped down from his role. Furthermore, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) notified the district last week that it would not launch an investigation into the alleged misconduct involving Bill Elliott because the statute of limitations had expired.

The TEA had previously revoked Bill Elliott's license last week due to allegations of misconduct.

Since October, three other educators have been placed on administrative leave by district officials:

  • Jainya Walder: An English teacher at Moore Middle School, arrested on October 30 after police stated she arrived at work "impaired."
  • Neil Phillips: A high school teacher and wrestling coach, placed on leave after a social media video surfaced alleging he demonstrated to students how to use an AI chatbot in a "sexually inappropriate way."
  • Micheale Clark: A special education teacher’s aide at Celina High School, arrested in November after police reported she arrived at work intoxicated. Clark was placed on administrative leave following her arrest.

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