"Shocking and horrifying": Lawyer for Celina ISD victims speaks on third-party report

Celina ISD victims' lawyer speaks on third-party report

The lawyer representing Celina ISD victims spoke out on the third-party report the district released last week, which detailed the scope of control former AD Bill Elliott had in hiring his son Caleb Elliott. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.

CELINA, Texas - An attorney representing families of victims in the lawsuit against Celina ISD is critical of the third-party report released last week, but says it does characterize a toxic culture within the district.

What we know:

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FOX 4’s Amelia Jones spoke with attorney Mitch Little, a Texas House representative who is representing several families of the victims in a lawsuit against Celina ISD.

"I think it should be shocking and horrifying to anybody who's taking a look at it," Little said of the report.

In the report that was released, Little was most surprised to learn the depth of Bill Elliott’s control.  

The backstory:

Last Friday, Celina ISD released the findings of a third-party independent investigation into the district's handling of former middle school teacher and coach Caleb Elliott, who is accused of recording dozens of boys in the locker room.

The heavily redacted 84-page report found no evidence that employees knew of or ignored prior misconduct by Caleb Elliott. 

It did find evidence of systemic issues inside the athletics department, particularly the far-reaching power of former head football coach and athletic director Bill Elliott. 

One day after the report was given to the school board, Bill Elliott announced his retirement. That same day, Allison Ginn resigned from her position as principal at Moore Middle School. 

What they're saying:

"I think it's incumbent upon us as state officials to find something that will help our public school system find its motivation to protect these kids," Little continued.

Little says there are more witnesses who knew about Caleb Elliott’s behavior before this school year who should have been interviewed by the investigator. 

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While Little is critical of the report, stating that not all the appropriate witnesses were interviewed, he believes the report does help paint a picture of the culture within the district.

A major one detailed in the report is the influence Bill Elliott had over his son Caleb Elliott getting hired at Moore Middle School. 

According to the report, Bill Elliott and former Moore Middle School principal Allison Ginn exchanged text messages about Caleb’s interview for a position before he submitted an application.

The report also mentions that during the hiring process, other remarks were made about Caleb Elliott’s lack of maturity, and concerns that he failed his certification test several times. 

The report found that Moore Middle School did not regularly review and evaluate teachers. Ginn offered Caleb Elliott and other employees who did not complete the full probationary period a term contract. 

Ginn also hired Caleb Elliott’s boyfriend, a recent graduate of Celina High School, at the middle school. 

What they're saying:

Witnesses told the investigator that one time, Bill Elliott and Ginn got in a shouting match over Caleb Elliott's hiring. During the argument, Bill Elliott alleged Ginn was not acting "the Celina way." The names of the witnesses were redacted for fear of retaliation. 

"I think what the people of Celina are finding out about "the Celina way" is that there's a lot of dysfunction embedded in that culture, and maybe "the Celina way" needs to be something a little bit different," Little continued.

What's next:

There is a school board meeting tomorrow night. It's the first time the public will be able to address the board about the report.