Family of victim files $1 million civil lawsuit against Plano ISD, principal and former teacher accused of child sex abuse

The family of an 8-year-old victim has filed a civil lawsuit against Plano ISD, a principal, and a second-grade teacher who was arrested in connection with sexually assaulting the child and several others on school grounds, according to court records.

The lawsuit accuses the district and principal Jennifer King of gross negligence and claims that they allowed the teacher, 64-year-old Paul Edward Campbell, to continue working at Brinker Elementary School despite "warnings of his behavior to school administrators."

The plaintiffs are referred to in the court filing as John and Jane Doe to protect their daughter's identity. The family is seeking more than $1 million in damages and requested a jury trial.

Campbell is accused of sexually assaulting multiple children, including two 8-year-old girls who came forward. And police believe there may be more victims.

What led to Campbell's arrest

Earlier this month, a child told her father that Campbell inappropriately touched her and that she saw him doing it with other girls in her class, too. The investigation into those accusations led to Campbell's arrest for continuous abuse of a child.

Following his arrest, at least three more children have come forward with similar accusations.

A pattern of alleged abuse

In the lawsuit filed Thursday, the parents of a victim said Campbell inappropriately touched their 8-year-old daughter during the 2025-2026 school year and other second-graders on numerous occasions in his classroom.

The lawsuit said that prior to their daughter's report, another child's parent had reported Campbell's behavior to King, the school principal. She allegedly failed to notify authorities or the State Board for Educator Certification to initiate an investigation or supervise his actions, the parents claim.

King is also accused of denying a request to transfer another possible victim out of Campbell's class.

Despite those reports, "Campbell was allowed to continue to teach at Brinker, placing him in a position of authority over second-grade students as a teacher where he could have unfettered access to girls," the lawsuit states. 

Campbell currently remains in the Collin County jail on multiple counts of indecency with a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

CBS News Texas has reached out to Plano ISD for comment but have yet to hear back. We'll update as more information becomes available.