At a Glance
- Parents packed a Celina ISD board meeting demanding the ouster of top officials after an investigator confirmed systemic failures that allowed a coach to secretly film naked boys.
- The probe revealed Athletic Director Bill Elliott used his influence to hire his son, Caleb Elliott, later arrested on federal child-pornography charges.
- Speakers called the board’s response a “good-ol-boy” cover-up and vowed to keep pressure on trustees.
- Why it matters: Families say student safety can’t be guaranteed until every administrator tied to the scandal is removed.
Celina ISD leaders faced a firestorm Tuesday night as dozens of parents and residents lined up to demand wholesale resignations, accusing the board of concealing critical facts about how a former middle-school coach allegedly recorded nude students for months.
The public outcry follows last week’s release of an independent report detailing how Caleb Elliott, once a Moore Middle School football coach and the son of then-athletic director Bill Elliott, exploited lax oversight to hide a cell-phone camera inside a locker-room vent. Authorities arrested the younger Elliott in October on multiple state and federal charges tied to the recordings.
“Y’all Dropped the Ball”
Michael Conway, a longtime Celina resident, captured the mood during the open-mic segment: “Y’all dropped the ball, huge, all over the place. You can’t tell me you didn’t know what was going on.”
The investigator’s 59-page document confirms that athletic-department staff missed repeated red flags, including complaints about Elliott’s behavior and evidence that equipment-room access was loosely controlled. It also states the elder Elliott “leveraged his position” to secure his son’s hiring without standard vetting.
Samuel Hall, a community advocate, told trustees the released version is incomplete: “We have redacted pages. We have missing parts of the story, and we have almost zero accountability.”
Speaker After Speaker Calls for Overhaul
For nearly an hour residents took the podium, each echoing a single theme-clean house or face political consequences.
- Chris Caldwell, parent of two district students, labeled the administration “a good-ol-boy program” and warned, “There are others that need to go.”
- Tom Bates pointed directly at Superintendent Dr. Thomas “Tom” Maglisceau: “You’re in material breach of your contract with our district.”
- Andrea Baque demanded both the superintendent’s dismissal and the resignation of the entire board: “It is necessary.”
Trustees gave no reply. After the final speaker they voted to move into a three-hour executive session-the second such closed-door meeting in two weeks-citing the need to discuss “personnel matters related to the investigation.” When they re-convened, the gavel fell with no statement, no action, and no timeline for next steps.
What the Report Found
Key findings released to date show:
| Issue | Finding |
|---|---|
| Hiring Process | Bill Elliott bypassed district policy to hire his son |
| Supervision | No routine locker-room checks by administrators |
| Complaint Tracking | At least two warnings about Caleb Elliott never reached HR |
| Evidence Handling | Critical video files were left on a campus computer for weeks |
Investigators noted a culture “resistant to outside scrutiny,” concluding that district leaders valued athletic success over student welfare.
Community Pressure Mounts
Parents say they will return to every board meeting until resignations are tendered. A petition circulating online had gathered 2,300 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.
Celina ISD enrolls about 3,700 students across nine campuses. The football program has long been a source of civic pride, winning four state titles since 1998. Critics contend that prestige shielded coaches from oversight.
Federal agents continue to comb through digital evidence seized from Caleb Elliott’s devices. A trial date has not been set.
Key Takeaways
- An independent probe confirms systemic failures that allowed a coach to secretly film boys in a locker room.
- Athletic Director Bill Elliott used his influence to hire his son, now facing federal charges.
- Parents vow sustained pressure until top officials resign or are removed.
- The board has adjourned twice without public action, stoking community anger.
