Celina Independent School District has placed another high school employee on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate conduct, marking the fifth such case to trouble the district in recent months. The district confirmed the action was taken after it learned of claims related to the employee's previous tenure in the neighboring Melissa Independent School District.
Key Takeaways
- A Celina High School employee, hired before the 2025-2026 school year, is on administrative leave.
- The allegations concern potential inappropriate conduct while the employee worked for Melissa ISD.
- This is the fifth Celina ISD staff member to be placed on leave or arrested for alleged misconduct recently.
- The district is investigating why a background check did not reveal any past or active investigations with the Texas Education Agency.
- Previous incidents involve a coach arrested for secretly recording students and another teacher charged with child endangerment.
New Allegations Surface at Celina High School
Parents in the Celina Independent School District received a letter on Friday informing them that a high school employee had been put on administrative leave. The district stated it acted immediately upon receiving information about potential misconduct that allegedly occurred while the employee was employed by Melissa ISD.
The employee was hired prior to the start of the current 2025-2026 school year. According to Celina ISD, a standard background check at the time of hiring showed no evidence of any active or past investigations linked to the employee's teaching certification with the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
The district is now investigating this discrepancy as part of its internal review. In the letter to parents, Celina High School Principal John Burdett addressed the community's concerns directly.
"We recognize the seriousness of this matter and are committed to addressing it with the care, attention, and transparency that our students, parents/guardians, and community deserve. The safety, well-being, and education of our students remain our highest priorities."
While the district has not detailed the specific nature of the allegations, officials in Melissa have not yet commented on the situation. The Melissa Police Department has confirmed there is no active police investigation into the matter at this time. Due to the absence of criminal charges, the employee's name has not been released.
A Series of Disturbing Incidents
This latest development adds to a growing list of personnel issues that have shaken the Celina ISD community. The district has been under intense scrutiny following the recent arrests of two other employees and the administrative leave of two senior staff members, including the district's athletic director.
These events have raised serious questions among parents and community members about the district's hiring practices, internal oversight, and overall commitment to student safety. The recurring nature of these incidents points to a challenging period for the district's leadership.
Timeline of Recent Celina ISD Incidents
- October 2025: Caleb Elliott, a Moore Middle School coach, is arrested on charges of invasive recording in a locker room.
- October 2025: A lawsuit is filed alleging Celina ISD covered up a prior sexual relationship involving Elliott.
- October 2025: Athletic Director Bill Elliott and the Moore Middle School principal are placed on administrative leave.
- Late October 2025: Jainya Walder, a Moore Middle School teacher, is arrested on campus and charged with child endangerment.
- November 2025: A fifth employee, from Celina High School, is placed on administrative leave over allegations from a previous district.
The Caleb Elliott Investigation
The most prominent case involves Caleb Elliott, a history teacher and football coach at Moore Middle School, who was arrested in October. He faces charges of invasive recording after being accused of secretly filming boys in a school locker room.
Allegations of a Cover-Up
Following his arrest, a lawsuit filed against the district claimed that Elliott had previously engaged in a sexual relationship with a student while employed at Celina High School. The lawsuit alleges that instead of addressing the issue, the district quietly transferred him to the middle school in an attempt to cover up the misconduct.
Once at Moore Middle School, Elliott allegedly recorded images of more than 30 boys in the locker room. Investigators reportedly found images of dozens of students on his personal phone. He was placed on administrative leave indefinitely following his arrest.
Leadership Placed on Leave
The investigation has also impacted district leadership. Caleb Elliott is the son of Bill Elliott, the Celina ISD Athletic Director and head football coach at the high school. In the wake of the arrest and the lawsuit, both Bill Elliott and the principal of Moore Middle School were placed on administrative leave to allow for an independent investigation into the district's handling of the situation.
Fact: A civil lawsuit alleges that Celina ISD was aware of prior misconduct allegations against Caleb Elliott before moving him from the high school to the middle school, a claim the district is now investigating.
Another Arrest at Moore Middle School
Just as the community was processing the details of the Elliott case, another incident occurred at the same school. In late October, Jainya Walder, a 40-year-old English teacher at Moore Middle School, was arrested on campus.
Walder was accused of being impaired while in her classroom with students present. She was subsequently charged with endangering a child, marking the second teacher from the school to face criminal charges within the same month.
The accumulation of these five separate personnel actions—two arrests and three administrative leaves—has created an atmosphere of concern and uncertainty within Celina ISD. As the district conducts its latest investigation, parents are left waiting for answers and reassurance that student safety is being protected above all else.