CORRIGAN, Texas — An East Texas school district is alerting the public after a teacher was arrested for an alleged improper relationship with a student.
According to Corrigan-Camden ISD, Terry Carlton was recently jailed and is no longer employed by the district.
“The safety and protection of our children is our highest priority,” CCISD Superintendent Richard Cooper said in a press release posted to Facebook. “Mr. Carlton is no longer employed by the district and the district has been cooperating with law enforcement and Texas Child Protective services investigations.”
CCISD says they will make counseling services available for students who need it.
In 2017, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 7 into law which "cracks down on inappropriate teacher-student relationships in Texas."
According to Gov. Abbott's office, "the law ensures teachers who engage in an inappropriate relationship with a student will lose their teaching certification/license and their taxpayer pension, and punishes administrators, superintendents and principals who turn a blind-eye to such misconduct. The bill also requires school districts to adopt a written policy to prevent improper electronic communications between school employees and a student."
Increased penalties could include:
- Automatic termination and revocation of a teaching certificate for teachers that engage in improper relationships with students.
- Fines up to $10,000 on any superintendent or principal who neglect to report an improper relationship within seven business days of discovering it.
- Jail time for principals or superintendents who intentionally conceal an improper relationship.
- Suspension, revocation, or denial of the certification of educators who assist an unscrupulous teacher in obtaining a job at another school.
- Suspension and annulment of an educator’s retirement annuity for educators convicted of having an an improper relationship with a student.
