The investigation conducted by Giana Ortiz included interviews with approximately 39 witnesses.
Celina ISD board members said Tuesday evening that an independent, outside investigation has found no evidence of any district employees who were aware of prior incidents of alleged misconduct by William “Caleb” Elliot before his hiring, the former Moore Middle School coach who now stands accused of surreptitiously recording boys in the locker room.
“There was no evidence that Caleb Elliott should not have been hired due to any alleged misconduct at the time he was hired,” the district statement said. “There was no evidence that there was any reason to suspect at the time he was hired that Caleb Elliott might someday go on to commit misconduct.” The investigation conducted by Giana Ortiz, an Arlington attorney who specializes in employment law, included interviews with approximately 39 witnesses, the statement said. The board said Ortiz confirmed that the witnesses – current and former employees – did not have any knowledge of alleged prior incidents of misconduct involving Elliott, the 26-year-old son of Bill Elliott, the district’s current football coach.The board’s statement said district records showed employee witnesses, including the ones from Moore Middle School, were trained annually in Child Abuse Identification and Prevention. Ortiz also found that the district informed all employees of their duty to report child abuse and neglect, the statement said.The younger Elliott, worked in the district’s maintenance department as a seasonal employee from 2017-19 and was hired as a teacher in August 2023. He formerly coachedafter and surrendered his teaching license to the Texas Education Agency. Additional charges of possession or promotion of child pornography and sexual performance of a child were added on Oct. 9. Elliott was indicted on eight federal counts of sexual exploitation of children, including producing child pornography, on Nov. 12. If convicted, each count carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.with a student when he was a teacher and assistant football coach at Celina High School during the 2022-23 school year, and that the district transferred him to the middle school after learning of the alleged abuse. The statement said Celina Police Department and the district repeatedly requested evidence related to allegations of prior knowledge of any conduct by Elliott from the community and the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuits against the district. The board said in their statement that to date, no information has been provided to corroborate the claims. This includes allegations of cameras, apology letters or employees confronting Elliott.“To date, the District has not been informed of the names of the students who are the subject of the lawsuits,” the statement said. The statement follows board president Jeff Gravely’s announcement following a marathon closed-door meeting that the district would release a redacted version of the investigation into Elliot after a five-hour special school board meeting Monday night. The district is in the process of preparing a report to disclose as much of the information from the investigation as possible, the statement said. They will, however, take measures to maintain the confidentiality of the witness identities. The board’s statement said Ortiz’s report identified operational factors that the district will use and evaluate to make any policy, procedure, training and operational changes.that were placed on administrative leave over misconduct ranging from showing up to work intoxicated to possession of child pornography.Neil Phillips, who worked at Celina High School as a head wrestling coach and social studies teacher, was placed on administrative leave after the district became aware of aSuryatapa Chakraborty is a Breaking News Reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She graduated from Boston University in 2025 with a Master of Science in Journalism. She has previously completed internships at the Boston Globe Media and the Cape Cod Times.Elissa Jorgensen is a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of Texas State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in English and master's degree in mass communication. Elissa previously reported for the Houston Chronicle and Texas Community Health News.Xzayvier Brown’s 24 points not enough as Oklahoma drops home game against Florida
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Caleb Williams' First NFL Playoff Win Is Just The BeginningFormer USC quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears pulled off one of the most thrilling comeback wins, defeating the Green Bay Packers 31-27. Williams first win as the Bears starting quarterback quickly turned heads across the NFL.
Read more »
Celina ISD Board of Trustees evaluates findings in Caleb Elliott caseThe Celina ISD school board is meeting behind closed doors to review an independent investigation into allegations that a former middle school coach secretly recorded dozens of students in a locker room.
Read more »
Celina ISD parents demand answers, leadership changes after coach scandalNorth Texas parents pushed Celina ISD leaders Monday for accountability and policy fairness after a third‑party investigation into a former coach’s…
Read more »
Celina ISD to release investigation into accused coachCelina ISD to release investigation into coach accused of recording students by week’s end
Read more »
Was Caleb Williams 4th-down throw to help beat Packers the best pass in Bears' history?NFL observers are still marveling at Caleb Williams' remarkable fourth-down pass that helped the Bears rally past the Packers.
Read more »
Six Lessons From NFL Wild-Card Weekend: Caleb Williams Will Soon Be a Top-10 QBForget what I said about not giving sub-.500 division winners home field advantage to start the playoffs. Had the Carolina Panthers been forced to play at SoFi
Read more »