A new lawsuit says at least 30 students in the Celina Independent School District were victims of Caleb Elliott, the teacher and coach facing charges for allegedly photographing boys in the locker room while they were changing. 

Nepotism enabled Caleb Elliott's alleged misconduct, lawsuit claims

Bill Elliott, Caleb Elliott's father, became the head football coach at Celina High School in 2012 and led the team to a state championship in 2024.

The lawsuit states that due to Bill Elliott's success as the high school's head football coach, he received an "outsized influence within Celina ISD."

The lawsuit says Caleb Elliott followed his father into coaching and, in the 2022-2023 school year, began working at Celina High School as a substitute teacher while serving as a coach. 

According to the lawsuit, at that time, Caleb Elliott began an "illicit sexual relationship with a vulnerable student." The lawsuit claims that Celina ISD discovered the relationship and did not terminate or report Caleb Elliott to authorities, but moved him to a middle school in 2023.

"In an apparent attempt to quietly handle a scandal involving the son of the revered head coach, Celina ISD simply moved Caleb Elliott from Celina High School across the Parkway to Moore Middle School," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also claims that at least one Celina ISD employee reported to the school that Caleb Elliott "behaved inappropriately with children," but was told that was not true.

Children left unprotected, according to lawsuit

Three unidentified children, who are mentioned in the lawsuit, were enrolled at Moore Middle School, participated in the school's football program and were coached by Caleb Elliott.

The lawsuit says, based on "information and belief," Caleb Elliott was caught placing a hidden camera in the Moore Middle School boys' locker room and states that Celina ISD "chose to protect the predator instead of the children."

Celina ISD told Caleb Elliott that he was banned from entering the boys' locker room when students were present, according to the lawsuit, and sent "carefully worded 'apology letters' to select parents."

The lawsuit claims that in 2025, boys at Moore Middle School became suspicious of Caleb Elliott and believed he was photographing and filming them with his smartphone.

Two students participating in the lawsuit caught Caleb Elliott "unmistakably and intentionally" taking pictures of boys in various states of undress, including completely nude, in the changing area and showers of the Moore Middle School locker room. The boys told their parents, who contacted the Celina police.

Celina police got a search warrant for Caleb Elliott's phone and later that day, he was arrested and charged with invasive visual recording. He was arrested again on Oct. 9, charged with possession of child pornography.

Celina ISD responds only after media attention, lawsuit claims

The lawsuit claims that Celina ISD Superintendent Thomas A. Maglisceua and the school board made a deal with Caleb Elliott on Oct. 15 that allowed him to resign instead of being fired if he agreed to voluntarily surrender his teaching certificate.

"Only after Elliott's arrest became a media sensation, only after community outrage reached a boiling point, only after the eyes of Texas were on Celina did the District finally retain an attorney to conduct an 'independent investigation,'" the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit alleges that had the district taken any preventative measures at any point, the children would not have been subject to any alleged misconduct.

Defendants seek damages exceeding $1 million

The school district, Superintendent Thomas A. Maglisceua, Principal Allison N. Ginn, Bill Elliott and Caleb Elliott are named in the lawsuit, which seeks over $1 million in damages and a jury trial.

The lawsuit, representing 20 defendants, claims Bill Elliott knew his son had an inappropriate relationship with a student, planted cameras in the locker room and behaved inappropriately with young boys, and, as a district employee and athletic director, potentially put others at risk by omission.

The same claim is made about Ginn and Maglisceua, alleging they were aware of Caleb Elliott's alleged relationship and misconduct and did not report him.

CBS News Texas has reached out to Celina ISD for comment.