Declaring War On Sexual Abuse of Kids
Texas now has lawsuits, investigators, and a watchdog with teeth. Protecting our kids is just getting started
Written By Rep. Mitch Little (Texas House District 65)
Earlier this year, I wrote a post on my Substack that addressed the sexual abuse of kids in Texas public schools; I explained the breakthrough of HB4623 in the 89th Legislature.
It was truly a declaration of war on the system that cultivates and shields the worst kind of attack on children and their families.
Now I’m encouraged to report even more allies in the fight. And the children need all the allies they can get. The attacks on these children are many; their enemies are powerful; and the war has just begun.
THE VAST SCALE OF CRIME
One analysis found almost 3,000 reports of sexual abuse occurred in less than three years in Texas
public schools.
A majority of these reports were not, that’s right, not—being investigated by the state. Prosecution of sex crimes in the schools has been difficult and rare. Predators know that when “trouble” arises, school administrators often protect them or quietly move them to another location without warning potential victims.
So for years, adult sexual predators flocked into Texas public schools as employees or contractors. They arrived like wolves preying on unguarded lambs.
OPENING SHOTS IN A WAR OF LIBERATION
When I say “unguarded,” I mean just that. Until recently Texas law banned the ability of victims and parents to file civil lawsuits against public school districts and employees. But now that ban is over. A fresh weapon is in the hands of victims and families.
A new law, HB4623, eliminates “government immunity” for public schools in sex abuse cases. I had the honor to author that law in the Texas House, with Senator Angela Paxton sponsoring it in the Texas Senate. Finally, victims of sexual abuse and their children can bring civil suits with potentially devastating monetary judgments.
Along with entire districts, lawsuits can target superintendents, administrators, principals, teachers (including substitute teachers), supervisors, social workers, school counselors, nurses, teachers' aides, school bus drivers, and members of school boards, among others whose employment requires certification and the exercise of discretion.
A POWERFUL NEW ALLY
Just as HB4623 opened up the “civil lawsuit front” in this war for our children, SB571 opened a door for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to enter the battlefield in a “criminal investigation front.”
This is a big deal.
The TEA is the state agency responsible for overseeing public education in Texas. It acts as the administrative arm of the Texas Legislature and the State Board of Education for implementing state education laws and policies.
One of its jobs is Investigations and Enforcement. The TEA can investigate misconduct, remove school boards, install conservators or managers, and close failing charter schools. It actually took over the Houston ISD in 2023!
A detailed statutory framework for reporting misconduct by school employees and contractors
A strengthened “Do Not Hire” registry that keeps those with misconduct or abuse findings away from kids
More measures to tighten protection of kids across the board
A broader obligation for school employees to report a specified list of serious behaviors
Criminal penalties for non-reporting
“For years, adult predators flocked into Texas schools as employees and contractors. They arrived like wolves walking into a pasture
full of unguarded lambs.”
SB571 gave the TEA new tools to protect children and deal with abusive wolves. The new law reformed how child abuse and employee or contractor misconduct are reported and investigated in the school system. For example: Abusers and their enablers have even more reason to fear. In February, the TEA hired Levi Fuller, an experienced prosecutor for the Texas Attorney General and, before that, the United States Army, to be “Inspector General for Educator Misconduct.” He also served as Chief of Staff for my colleague Representative Andy Hopper (HD64).
I believe he will maximize the TEA’s vigor in pursuit of justice and protection for Texas kids.
THE BATTLES HAVE COMMENCED
On October 28, I joined attorneys, citizens, and the media at the Collin County Courthouse to announce a major lawsuit against the Celina Independent School District in a notorious alleged case of sexual abuse against students.
A football coach was caught taking locker-room images of dozens of underage students. There is speculation that he was being protected by higher powers in the ISD. Time will tell.
Now—in addition to the civil suits— criminal investigations are following, both at the local and federal levels, with the former coach indicted by the Department of Justice. I hope this activity not only achieves justice, but sends a signal throughout the state that results in a self-correction by the schools and a dismantling of the culture of corruption.
WE HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT
More must happen in order to win the war and protect our most precious the vulnerable students who will be the next generation of Texans.
The sheer scale of abuse—thousands of cases across the state, with each offense shattering the life of a child and family—signals the need for an aggressive response.
More lawsuits. More investigations. More prosecutions. These steps, and more, need to spark a needed change in the entire Texas culture— including in public schools—that values healthy sexuality over the unhealthy and destructive worldview of the sexual revolution.
We must keep returning to the touchstone truth of this battle: Every child is worth the fight, and an entire generation is at stake.
Mitch Little is a constitutional conservative and lifelong Republican who believes our elections and border must be secure, property taxes should be lower, and the radical left’s agenda has no place in our schools and communities. Rep. Little currently serves in the Texas House of Representatives for District 65. Learn more at https://mitchlittlefortexas.com/