Celina ISD board faces heated backlash, calls for resignations after Caleb Elliott investigation
Emotions ran high during a Celina ISD school board meeting as parents and residents demanded accountability following the release of a redacted third-party investigation into the district's handling of former teacher and coach Caleb Elliott.
The meeting marked the first time the public addressed the board since the report was released last week and since two district leaders departed their roles.
Speaker after speaker criticized district leadership, with several calling for the entire school board to resign.
"We should be deeply concerned about the amount of wrongdoing found," one resident said to trustees during public comment.
Another parent, Chris Caldwell, who has two children at Moore Middle School and one at Celina High School, urged immediate action.
"Resign and resign tonight," Caldwell said.
The 85-page redacted investigation examined the district's actions surrounding Elliott, a former Moore Middle School coach accused of photographing boys naked in a locker room last year.
"Y'all have dropped the ball huge all over the place," resident Michael Conway said. "You can't tell me somebody here didn't know what was going on."
One speaker argued the harm could have been prevented altogether.
"If he wasn't hired, 38 families would not have had to endure the tragedy caused by a sick, perverted pedophile," said Chad Fires.
The tense meeting followed a turbulent week for the district. Bill Elliott, Caleb Elliott's father, retired from his position as head coach and athletic director. Moore Middle School principal Allison Ginn also resigned.
Celina parent, Andrea Bocque, told trustees that accountability matters.
"Dismissal is not punishment," she said. "It is acknowledgment. Acknowledgment that the system did not work as it intended."
While the investigation found no evidence linking other staff members to Caleb Elliott's alleged crimes, it cited what it described as "systemic failures" within the district. Those included a principal who said she felt pressured to hire Caleb Elliott because of his father's influence, concerns over Bill Elliott's role in athletic hiring, and an unusual safe full of cash found in his office — which Bill Elliott said came from parent payments for physicals.
Caldwell accused district leadership of favoritism, telling the board, "What you're doing is the good ole boy program and protecting Bill."
Many attendees characterized the district's response as a cover-up and called for both the school board and superintendent to step down.
Samuel Hall, president of a nonprofit that investigates child exploitation, warned against inaction.
"The triumph of evil is for men and women to do nothing," he said.
Conway closed his remarks by again calling for resignations.
"These children deserve to be protected," he said. "You should have been protecting them. But instead, we got lawsuits because of your lack of leadership."
The board discussed the investigation in executive session. No action was taken.