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More families are suing Celina Independent School District, accusing the district of gross negligence for enabling a middle school coach’s alleged illicit locker room recording of student athletes while the boys were undressed and showering.  The new lawsuit was filed this week by families of three Moore Middle School students who were victimized by their coach William Caleb Elliott.  Caleb Elliott is the 26-year-old son of Celina ISD’s longtime Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Bill Elliott.  The petition describes Caleb Elliott as “a predator enabled by nepotism and willful blindness” and asserts that his father Bill Elliott’s “on-field success” in football “translated into outsized influence within Celina ISD.” view article

In its first term, the Trump administration focused on the southern border as hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many from Central and South America, came seeking asylum. The administration implemented policies such as the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “remain in Mexico” policy, under which more than 70,000 non-Mexican people were forced to wait in Mexico until their asylum cases wound through U.S. immigration courts.  But the second Trump administration has been even more aggressive in clamping down on undocumented immigrants in the nation’s interior, setting a goal for ICE of at least 3,000 arrests a day. The data show that in the first six months of this term, ICE averaged 727 arrests a day, more than doubling the 304 daily arrests under Biden. view article

A $16 million homeless “super hub” that was pulled from two consecutive agendas amid public backlash has now been approved.   The Houston City Council has officially approved a $16 million plan to create a homeless “super hub” east of downtown—despite objections from nearby residents who say City Hall shut them out of the process. view article

Local residents are suing the City of Dallas for enforcing 89 ordinances that the City itself admitted are in violation of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act and the Texas Constitution, according to allegations from the Texas Public Policy Foundation.  The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act (TRCA)—referred to by critics as the “Death Star Bill”—is designed to rein in out-of-control local governments and protect Texans from tyrannical local regulations.  The act—passed in 2023—preempts local governments from adopting, enforcing, or maintaining ordinances related to agriculture, business and commerce, finance, labor, natural resources, occupations, and property. view article

The woman was a teacher at Moore Middle School, the same campus at the center of a case involving a coach recording children in the locker room. view article

A Celina ISD teacher is in jail after police said she was impaired while on the campus of Moore Middle School. She’s the second teacher from the school to face criminal charges this month. view article

A Mansfield ISD teacher was fired this week after his arrest on charges of child pornography, sexual assault of a child and improper relationship with a student. Jared Young, 33, was a science teacher at Legacy High School and a coach of freshman football and basketball teams. view article

The case stems from a coach’s illegal recording of undressed middle school boys in the locker room.   view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into Lorex Technology Inc. over concerns that its products may be tied to the Chinese Communist Party and present a risk to national security.   Paxton’s probe targets whether Lorex, a security camera company that was previously owned by the Chinese tech giant Dahua, is deceptively marketing surveillance cameras to Texans as safe and secure.   Lorex confirmed that it is aware of the attorney general’s probe and wrote, “We fully intend to contest the allegations made by the Attorney General, and we are confident that a fair hearing will determine that Lorex has taken the appropriate steps to safeguard customer privacy.”  Federal agencies have flagged Dahua as a “Chinese military company” and have implemented bans and restrictions on its products due to hacking and surveillance risks.​ view article

Texas school districts could be held liable for sexual misconduct involving teachers and students thanks to a new state law. State Representative Mitch Little from Lewisville discussed that law on Wednesday at a press conference at the Collin County courthouse in McKinney, where a pending lawsuit against Celina ISD accuses a former football coach of filming students undressing in the boys locker room. view article

There are increasing calls for transparency, along with more threats of legal action, in the case of former Celina ISD teacher and coach Caleb Elliott. The community is also grappling with the district's decision to place Bill Elliott, the suspect's father, who is also the head football coach at Celina High School and the district's athletic director, on 'non-disciplinary' paid leave. view article

The legal battle over West Texas A&M University’s drag show ban has taken a new turn after the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to rehear the case en banc—that is, before all 17 active judges of the appellate court.   This development means the court has vacated an earlier 2-1 panel ruling that had temporarily blocked the university’s drag ban and found that Spectrum WT, the campus LGBT student group, was likely to succeed on First Amendment grounds.​   The earlier ruling, issued in August, sided with the student group and said that the drag show was protected expressive conduct, and that the campus venue was a designated public forum subject to strict constitutional scrutiny.  view article

The Houston Independent School District filed a lawsuit against the Texas Attorney General's Office in an attempt to keep public information from our 13 Investigates team. 13 Investigates has been formally requesting information about the district's relationship with the agency for months and hasn't gotten any answers, so sending an open records request for emails was our next move. view article

State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano) sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on October 23, requesting his office “undertake an outside and independent investigation into the shocking reports out of Celina ISD in Collin County.”  view article

A Collinsville ISD high school baseball coach has been placed on administrative leave over allegations of inappropriate communication with a student. Collinsville ISD superintendent Matthew Davenport confirmed that Collinsville High School baseball coach Derrick Jenkins has been placed on leave after receiving a report of inappropriate communication between Jenkins and a Collinsville ISD student. view article

Kristen Eichel, Coppell ISD’s former assistant superintendent for administrative services, was arrested Oct. 7 for property theft. According to Denton County bond records, Eichel was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 7 for theft of property valued between $100 and $750. Eichel posted a $1,000 cash bond on Oct. 8 and was released from the Denton County Jail. view article

Cedar Hill ISD is working with police to investigate allegations involving former students and two of the district's band directors, according to a letter from Cedar Hill High School's principal sent to parents that was obtained by WFAA. According to the letter, the two employees were placed on leave pending the result of the police investigation. The letter stated that there are no allegations involving current students. view article

The Groveton school district in Trinity County has formally responded to KBTX’s reporting of an investigation involving Centerville ISD’s superintendent. In our reporting, KBTX confirmed Centerville ISD Superintendent Carole Dickey was indicted by a grand jury this month on a charge of failing to notify the Texas Education Agency of an educator accused of having a romantic relationship with a student. view article

A former Hondo High School teacher arrested on multiple charges Thursday is accused of having an improper relationship with a student, according to police. Thomas William Ricker Hill, 24, was taken into custody for indecency with a child by sexual contact, sexual performance by a child and improper relationship between educator and student, police said. Hill was later booked into the Medina County jail. view article

After several months of discussion, members of the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees approved changes to several district policies to comply with new legislation, but went a step further than some of those Texas laws.    Some changes are due to new legislation, while others are clarifications of existing district policies. In November, the board will adopt 12 more new or updated policies, Superintendent David Vinson said.   The new Senate Bill 12 prohibits assisting students with "social transitioning," which is defined as adopting a different name or pronouns to express a gender identity different from their biological sex at birth.  view article

City Council members will vote Tuesday on changing the name to Westside Drive at the request of developers to mirror the name of their upcoming $1.7 billion Westside Village. The project along White Settlement Road is set to break ground next year and, upon completion, will include a mix of office and retail space, plus a luxury hotel and apartments.  view article

The 5th Circuit last year overturned its previous ruling that allowed racial groups to band together to challenge voting maps, laying the groundwork for Texas’ mid-decade redistricting. view article

Centerville ISD is again at the center of an investigation involving a member of its staff. Assistant Superintendent Dottie Sullivan sent a statement to parents on Tuesday, notifying them of an allegation regarding an employee’s “unprofessional conduct” involving a student on the elementary campus. No additional information was shared, but Sullivan said the district is committed to full transparency. “Please be assured that student safety and campus integrity remain our highest priority,” she said. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services are each conducting their own investigations into this case, Sullivan confirmed. view article

The secretary of state identified 2,724 potential noncitizens registered to vote in Texas.   After running its entire list of more than 18 million voters through the SAVE database, Texas has identified 2,724 potential noncitizens who are registered to vote in the state.  Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced Monday that her office had completed a full comparison of the state’s voter registration list against data in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ SAVE database. view article

The Centerville school board is set to meet this week for the first time since the school district’s leader was booked into the Leon County jail and charged with a crime. On Friday, we reported the arrest of Centerville ISD Superintendent Carole Dickey who remains employed by the school district and supported by the school board. The next school board meeting is set for Thursday, October 23rd. view article

The school board in Centerville ISD is pushing back against allegations against the district’s leader following her indictment this week by a grand jury in Leon County. According to court records shared with KBTX, Carole Dickey is accused of failing to notify the Texas Education Agency of an educator accused of having a romantic relationship with a student. Prosecutors said Dickey intentionally failed to report his resignation, with the intent to conceal alleged misconduct. view article

Paxton called on the university to expel the students. Free speech experts have previously criticized state leaders who laud Kirk as a free speech champion while seeking to discipline those who have celebrated his death. view article

An Austin Independent School District teacher was recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), district officials confirmed. The district sent a letter to families confirming that Roberto López Falcón, a teacher at Hart Elementary School, had been detained by ICE. School officials said they were not aware of complete details surrounding the incident but noted it did not occur at or near the campus. view article

Celina ISD parents packed an emergency school board meeting Thursday night after the arrest of middle school football coach and teacher Caleb Elliott, the son of longtime Celina head football coach Bill Elliott. According to a newly obtained arrest warrant, investigators say the 26-year-old recorded several boys in the locker room during school hours. The warrant states that 12 photos were recovered from Elliott's phone — all described as meeting the criteria of child pornography and showing young boys in various states of dress and undress. view article

At a special meeting Wednesday night, Celina ISD’s revered football family found itself at the center of heartbreak and public outrage. Caleb Elliott, 26, resigned and surrendered his teaching license before the meeting — but his fate was still front and center as parents, board members, and community leaders gathered to reckon with the charges against him and his fate with the district. view article

Caleb Elliott, a now-former teacher and football coach at Celina ISD’s Moore Middle School, faces felony charges. An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by FOX 4 on Thursday says Celina Police Department detectives found 12 images of groups of naked or half-naked students on Elliott’s phone.  view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton has informed the Texas State Securities Board that his office has uncovered evidence showing entities connected to the East Plano Islamic Center and its controversial proposed EPIC City land development project violated both federal and state securities laws.  In a letter to Chairman E. Wally Kinney and Commissioner Travis J. Iles, Paxton said his office conducted an investigation into Community Capital Partners LP (CCP), the group raising funds for EPIC City, after receiving multiple complaints. The attorney general’soffice requested extesive records from CCP and says it has now reviewed more than 750 documents related to the offering of securities tied to the project.  “In the course of the investigation, the OAG identified evidence that CCP violated federal and state securities laws and regulations, including both procedural violations and fraudulent conduct,” Paxton wrote. He invited the Securities Board to meet with his investigative team, review the evidence, and—if it agrees with his findings—refer the case back to the attorney general’s office so that legal action can proceed. view article

The former director of Dublin ISD’s information and technology department was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing more than $1 million from the school district. Craig Parks was reportedly taken into custody while at his job in Glen Rose on Wednesday. view article

The law banned “expressive activity” on campuses from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., among other restrictions. “The Court cannot trust the universities to enforce their policies in a constitutional way,” the judge said. view article