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Celina residents call for resignations during board meeting
Celina ISD parents and residents who spoke during a board meeting Tuesday night called for several council members and the superintendent to resign in the wake of the third-party report regarding Caleb Elliott, which was released last Friday. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.
CELINA, Texas - Celina residents called for members of the Celina ISD board and the district’s superintendent to resign in a board meeting Tuesday night.
What we know:
"Shocking and horrifying": Lawyer for Celina ISD victims speaks on third-party report
A lawyer for victims in the Celina ISD lawsuit spoke out against the third-party report released last week, saying he was surprised to learn of Bill Elliott's level of control.
Tonight's board meeting was the first time the board has met since the highly anticipated independent report was released on Friday, Jan. 16 about the handling of the Caleb Elliott matter.
It's also the first time the public had the opportunity to address the board about the findings in the report, including the far-reaching influence of former athletic director and head football coach Bill Elliott and his role in the hiring of his son, as well as the status of the athletic department’s finances.
The heavily redacted 84-page report did not find any evidence that employees knew of or ignored prior misconduct by Caleb Elliott. It did though expose close relationships between several board members and Bill Elliott.
The board did not address the report at the start of the meeting. They did discuss the report in a closed session.
What they're saying:
Celina ISD releases third-party report on investigation into former football coach
Celina ISD has released a third party investigation into the former football coach accused of child exploitation.
Those who spoke during public comment agreed with the report’s sentiment that the district needs reform. Many called for the superintendent and several board members mentioned in the report to resign.
"The Celina way must change, and if this board truly means what they said about wanting to get to the bottom of this then they need to truly question everything in this district," Chad Fires, a parent in the district, said during public comment. "The district's culture is riddled with corruption, collusion, cover up, and criminal behavior."
"There's three witnesses, witness 10, witness 11, and witness 13 on the board who are good buddies with Bill. You should have never stayed on the board, or you should have recused yourself, and now I’m asking you to resign," said Chris Caldwell, another parent.
"Y'all dropped the ball. Huge. All over the place. You can't tell me that somebody here didn't know what was going on," said Michael Conway, a parent of a student at Moore Middle School where Caleb Elliott was formerly employed.
Dig deeper:
Former Celina ISD Coach Caleb Elliott
After public comment, superintendent Tom Maglisceau answered a question from a parent in the audience regarding a financial audit report on the agenda.
The parent asked about the safe in Bill Elliott's office that was discovered during the investigation and mentioned in the report.
The superintendent responded by saying the district hired an independent auditor to review the athletic accounts over the past three years, and the money in the safe would not have been looked at by state auditors.
The parent followed up by asking who had access to the safe or knew about the contents. The superintendent responded that it was answered in the report.
The Source: