More Lawsuits Expected in Celina ISD Child Pornography Scandal

Republican State Rep. Mitch Little told reporters Wednesday that he anticipates more lawsuits will stem from an incident in Celina ISD involving a coach accused of filming minor male students in a middle school locker room, thanks to a law he authored that the Texas Legislature passed this summer. 

Already, a lawsuit has been filed by several Jane and John Does against 26-year-old William Caleb Elliott, who has been charged with invasive visual recording and possession or promotion of child pornography. Elliott was a sixth-grade history teacher and eighth-grade football coach at Moore Middle School in Celina. The lawsuit, which also names the district as a defendant, claims that the district permitted Elliott to remain employed despite exhibiting several inappropriate behaviors during his tenure. 

Until now, an investigation into an incident such as this would have typically stopped in the criminal system; however, Little’s House Bill 4623 waives the immunity that has historically protected school districts from civil liability in cases involving educators and minors. The facts of the case would lend themselves to a civil lawsuit on the grounds of gross negligence, reckless supervision, or the ongoing or continued employment of Caleb Elliott, Little said. 

“​​I had hoped it would be a deterrent, or an encouragement to school districts to root out sexual abuse in our public school system,” Little said during a Wednesday morning press conference at the Collin County Courthouse. “I did not in my wildest dreams imagine we would need to apply it immediately in a district so close to home.”

Attorney Quintin Brogdon said a civil investigation is in the “infancy” stage, and that he has had preliminary conversations with a dozen families affected by the scandal. He expects some will be willing to sign on to a civil lawsuit, once private investigations have revealed any information that may lead to specific accusations against the district or district personnel. 

Brogdon and Little said a high level of scrutiny will be necessary in the civil and criminal proceedings because of Elliott’s relationship to Celina High School’s head football coach, Bill Elliott, who led the team to a perfect season and a state championship in 2024. Bill Elliott was placed on a nondisciplinary leave of absence by the school district last week, “out of an abundance of caution,” district leaders said.

But some community members believe that Bill Elliott’s level of clout helped keep his son employed, even after Caleb Elliott was caught engaging in an “inappropriate and unlawful” relationship with a high school senior while working as a substitute teacher at the school, and installing a camera in the middle school’s locker room last school year. 

“It certainly appears that instead of protecting those students, the district chose to protect its ability to go and get another state football championship,” Brogdon said. “Something’s very wrong with that picture. There needs to be accountability.” 

On Tuesday, Celina football fans launched a petition urging the district to temporarily lift Bill Elliott’s leave of absence so that the coach can attend this Friday’s “Senior Night” celebration. The petition has been signed 850 times, and the organizers say they “feel strongly that these athletes should not be penalized any further for this unfortunate circumstance.” 

Little, though, said he believes Bill Elliott is one of many district officials who may be able to offer up answers as to why Caleb Elliott “was allowed to continue to be around” children. Celina ISD has launched an independent, third-party investigation into the incident, but it has been put on hold as authorities conduct their own investigation. Attorney General Ken Paxton is also probing the district after a request for oversight from Republican Rep. Jeff Leach. 

“Everyone wants to know exactly what happened, who did it, and when it happened. And I think the people in Celina have the right to answer those questions,” Little said. “Because when parents trust the school system, when they send their kid off to school, there’s a bargain that we make through our social system that they’re not going to be harmed by a teacher, they’re not going to be harmed by a coach, or harmed by an administrator. And Celina violated that.” 

Read the current lawsuit: