Former Clear Creek ISD teacher accused of having relationship with student

  LEAGUE CITY, TX (KTRK) -- A former Clear Creek ISD teacher is facing allegations she had a sexual relationship with one of her students.

Stephanie Raleen Forbes, 40, was arrested Thursday afternoon in the 300 block of Sorrelwood Dr. in League City on charges of sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student, according to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives say they launched an investgation last month after Clear Creek ISD officials were notified of allegations that Forbes had an ongoing sexual relationship with a student. She resigned from the district after detectives launched an investigation into the accusations.

Forbes was released from the Galveston County Jail after she posted a $20,000 bond.

The investigation is ongoing.
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Alvin teacher wins prestigious award

  ALVIN, TX (KTRK) -- A local school teacher has won a major award and a big check for her work in the classroom.

Governor Rick Perry surprised Alvin ISD teacher Kristi Plummer with the 2012 national Milken Educator Award. Plummer is one of 40 teachers in the country who will receive this award.

The California-based Milken Family Foundation issues the award based on what teachers have already achieved, as well as the promise of their future accomplishments.

Passmore Elementary School teacher Kristi Plummer said, "I'm in shock. I had no idea. I love being a teacher. I love my job. I love coming to work every day all because of you kids."

Plummer did not know that she was under consideration for the Milken award because the selection process is carried out in a confidential manner. Plummer is the only Texas educator to receive the 2012 award.

Plummer began teaching in the 2007-2008 school year and has now taught fourth, fifth and sixth grade math and fourth grade science. Beginning this year, she is working as a math interventionalist, which means she works with at-risk students to help them develop stronger math skills.

This award is considered the Oscar of teaching and comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize.

Since the award's creation 26 years ago, the program has honored more than 2,500 educators and issued more than $63 million in cash prizes. To date, 44 Texas educators have been named Milken Educator Award recipients and have received a total of $1.1 million in prizes.

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Karate teacher accused of sexually assaulting 15-year-old female student

Jimmy Lee Walker, 46, is charged with sexual assault of a child under 17 years of age.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A local karate teacher is accused of sexually assaulting a child.

Police say Jimmy Walker assaulted a 15-year-old girl at his home back in June. According to authorities, the girl was a student of Walker's and also worked at his studio.

Police say Walker, 46, denies the allegation. He faces one count of sexual assault of a child under 17 years of age.

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Spring middle school teacher pleads guilty to sexually assaulting student

Andre Levelle Thomas, 32, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Spring ISD teacher has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a student.

Andre Thomas was a teacher at Roberson Middle School, when he raped a 13-year-old girl in his classroom in August of last year. On Tuesday, Thomas made a plea agreement and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and ten years probation.

A statement by the victim was made in court Tuesday. In it, she said she had to pretend Thomas was a good teacher, when he was really a horrible teacher, but she said she is a survivor.

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HISD teacher accused of distributing child porn

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- He's been working with children in Houston for years. Now, a local elementary school teacher is behind bars, facing child pornography charges.

Authorities are accusing former Anderson Elementary School third grade teacher Juan Villarreal of distributing child pornography. Police say the children seen on the obscene videos could have been as young as eight years old.

Now he's in federal custody and that's where many parents believe, he should remain.

For Maria Garcia, the Labor Day holiday is off to a rocky start.

"I have a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old, and I'm thinking about maybe changing schools," she said.

Her children brought home a letter from school she'd rather not have to read.

"There was a lady walking behind me and I'm like, 'Did you just read this letter?' and I showed it to her and we were both like, oh my goodness," Garcia said.

Federal agents arrested Villarreal early Friday morning after raiding his Mission Bend home. On his computer allegedly were dozens of sexual pictures and video of girls, and boys between the ages 8 and 15.

We went to Villarreal's house but his wife and daughter wouldn't talk to us.

Late this afternoon, HISD released a statement, reading in part:

"The safety of all the students is top priority. The district takes these charges very seriously and will work closely with law enforcement agencies."

"He was teacher last year for my son," a concerned parent told us.

Villarreal faces between five and 20 years in prison, if convicted and will likely never teach again.

It's a reality too confusing for his young students.

"We are sad," one student told us.

It's even tougher for parents to explain.

"Really, I don't know yet. I have to think about it and talk to my wife about it before we tell them what's going on," concerned father Arturo Ponce said.

Villarreal's detention hearing is set for September 5.

Meanwhile, counselors will be on hand at Anderson for students or parents, who need them.

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HISD board to vote on teacher raises

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Today the Houston ISD school board will vote on teacher raises.

The district has proposed a two percent raise for all teachers as part of its school budget. Principals, central office staff, bus drivers and food service employees would also get pay bumps. The raises would total $20 million, and some of that would be paid for by dipping into the district's savings.

The total budget for the next school year is one and a half billion dollars.

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Ex-sub teacher accused of sending nude photos

Tiffany Michelle Amos, 25, is charged with online solicitation of a minor

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A former substitute teacher is accused of sending nude photos of herself to a teenage student.

Tiffany Michelle Amos, 25, was working as a substitute teacher at Westfield High School in March when she met a 16-year-old boy and exchanged cell phone numbers with him, court documents state. The teen told Spring ISD police that they had communicated by phone calls and text messages when Amos reportedly sent him nude photos of herself.

According to court documents, Amos admitted to an officer that she sent the nude photos when she knew the boy was just 16 years old. She also stated that she had sex with the boy at her apartment on his 17th birthday and a few times after that. The officer reportedly found nude photos of Amos during a search of her cell phone.

Spring ISD issued the following statement:

"The Spring ISD Police Department investigated an allegation involving a substitute teacher, Tiffany Amos, and a Westfield High School student. The Spring ISD administration determined that there was an inappropriate relationship between the substitute and the student that warranted her immediate termination and further investigation. The results of that investigation indicate that the incident involved only one student. Those results were submitted to the Harris County District Attorney's office, which accepted felony charges for Online Solicitation of a Minor.

The safety of our students is of the highest importance. The criminal history and references of job applicants, including those who apply to serve as substitutes, are routinely checked before they are hired. The district takes every allegation seriously and with the Spring ISD police department, will always conduct a thorough investigation."

Amos has been charged with online solitication of a minor. Bail has been set at $5,000.

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Parent accused of showing gun clip, threatening teacher during on-campus conference

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The mother of a student at Marshall Middle School is facing charges after allegedly threatening to use a gun to settle a dispute with school administrators.

According to HISD, Lori Cotton-Noel came to the school on Thursday to meet with the assistant principal about what the district calls an alleged incident. HISD says Cotton-Noel apparently grew angry, displayed a gun clip and threatened to use a firearm.

School police were called and now charges have been filed against Cotton-Noel.

Eyewitness News spoke with her husband who says one of his children has been bullied at Marshall consistently, even threatened with being shot by other students, and he says the administration has failed to address it. On Thursday, they were going to another conference to ask for help.

"She just wanted to let it be known, just like they're threatening my daughter with shotguns and pistols and spraying mace in her face, when they made one shotgun, they did not stop making them," he told Eyewitness News.

He claims there was not a direct threat made by his wife against the administrator.

Cotton-Noel, 40, came to school Friday afternoon to pick up her kids. Instead, she learned in a letter sent home to school parents that she'd been charged with a felony.

Students were sent home with letters to parents notifying them of this incident, saying in part, "Ensuring the safety of each of our students is one of our main priorities, and in this case, the safety of the students was never compromised. While we believe this is an isolated incident, we want to remind all of our students and parents about the importance of appropriate behavior at all times, especially while on our campus."

HISD says Cotton-Noel has been banned from all HISD campuses.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

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HISD teacher shows fifth graders horror film in class

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Fifth grade students at an HISD school got a break from class to watch a movie, but what they saw has at least one mother angry and her son scared.

Houston ISD says the teacher made a mistake. The movie was shown this week at Shearn Elementary on Houston's south side.

'Insidious' looks like a freaky movie, even for adults. Entertainment Weekly calls it a haunted-house movie that has some of the "most shivery and indelible images in any horror film in decades."

Rated PG-13, parents are "strongly cautioned" against their children watching it.

"I couldn't believe what he was telling me. From school -- he's in fifth grade," parent Mary Baker said.

So you can imagine Baker's horror when her 10-year-old son, Kyle, came home, saying he watched it at school.

"I think it was a very poor choice for a teacher that was educated. He knows better, and it affected my son horribly," Baker said.

Baker says a teacher at the school let her son's class -- a group of 10- and 11-year-olds -- choose between a funny and scary movie, and 'Insidious' was one of their options.

"He was physically sick," said Baker. "He was throwing up last night until almost midnight. Then got in my bed and ended up sleeping with me the rest of the night."

A spokesperson for HISD confirms the teacher showed the PG-13 movie in class without approval. They added that their policy is that "any film shown in class must be approved by the principal. As a result, the teacher will be reprimanded and an apology letter will be sent home to parents."

Other Shearn parents agree.

"Do you let your student watch horror films?" we asked parent Guadalupe Gil.

"No I don't," she said.

"So I wouldn't feel comfortable," parent Heather Mouton said.

The teacher made a mistake. Baker just hopes now he's learned his lesson.

"Kids are affected, they're affected. It affects them. The little things count - even movies," Baker said.

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HISD teacher calls boy a derogatory name

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The parents of an elementary student are asking HISD to fire, or at least suspend, a teacher because of what she said to their son.

The teacher admits calling the boy a derogatory name. HISD wont say what motivated the verbal attack.

When nine-year-old Tony Torres was younger, he lost almost all his hearing. His speech development was delayed and as a result, his parents say, so were some of his academic skills.

Tony gets extra attention at HISD's Wainwright Elementary to help. But he came home from there one day this month in tears after one of his teachers called him a name.

"She mumbled the word 'dumbass' and he heard her," said his mother, Patricia Gutierrez.

Tony told his mother the teacher became frustrated over his handwriting. He says he wasn't sure what to think of the verbal assault from a teacher he really likes.

"I felt like sad, and I just don't want to fire the teacher because she's like so nice to me," Tony said.

Tony's father, Jose Torres, though is calling for her termination.

"I would think that she would be fired, because something like that to a kid could really damage them. Just a single word like that could make him think that that's what he is," he said.

HISD says the teacher admitted using the word "dumbass." An HISD spokesperson says she has been, "officially reprimanded for using inappropriate language with a student." But she has not been fired or even suspended.

"No, that's not enough," Jose Torres said.

"Kids get suspended and punished when they do things wrong. Why isn't it like that with teachers when they verbally abuse the child?" Gutierrez added.

The parents moved Tony away from that teacher, and HISD agreed to have other teachers at Wainwright work with him. But that didn't happen over the past two weeks. As a result, his parents say he was never pulled from class for additional instruction as he should have been, missing 30 hours of one-on-one time.

Tony's parents want an apology, while Tony just wants everyone to be friendly again.

"Every day I just say hi to her," Tony said.

Late Friday afternoon, Wainwright's principal met with the parents to work out a plan to help tony recoup those hours of instruction lost.

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Houston Schools New Teacher Merit Pay Program - Will It Help or Hinder?

Former teacher under investigation for child porn

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A former Klein ISD teacher has been charged with viewing child pornography while on the job at school. The teacher worked at Hildebrandt Intermediate, before he left the job nearly seven months ago. Now he's wanted by police.

Law enforcement is looking for a former teacher at Hildebrandt Intermediate School, who is accused of having child pornography on his work computer. An arrest warrant was issued for Orville Blaine Sanders on Monday. He's accused of possession of child porn. Sanders supervised students during in-school suspension.

The investigation started back in October and law enforcement says illegal images were found on his work computer.

We received a statement from Klein ISD that says in part, "Mr. Sanders admitted visiting inappropriate sites during his employment with Klein and then promptly resigned."

Klein ISD also says none of the images found on Sanders' computer were of students. He allegedly downloaded them from websites.

Klein ISD did not make anyone from Klein ISD Police Department available to talk about the investigation.

Sanders worked for the school district for eight years and has no criminal history. According to court documents, he heard about the child porn websites from students and he continued to visit the websites for "shock value."

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Local teacher out after bin Laden comment

  HOUSTON -- A Texas school district says a teacher won't return to work after being accused of mocking an American-born Muslim student by asking if she was grieving because her "uncle" had died, a reference to Osama bin Laden.

The teacher was put on leave after making the alleged remark May 2, hours after bin Laden was killed in a U.S. military raid. The incident involved a female student in a ninth-grade algebra class at Clear Brook High School in Friendswood, located 23 miles southeast of Houston. District spokeswoman Elaina Polsen on Monday declined to say if the teacher was fired or resigned. Polsen said the comment did not reflect school or district staff attitudes. Houston-area Muslim leaders said last week they were pleased with the district's response. (Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Pearland ISD hoping to avoid teacher layoffs

PEARLAND, TX (KTRK) -- According to their website, the Pearland Independent School District is avoiding layoffs through budget reductions. However the administration is identifying positions and programs that may be eliminated to balance the district's budget.

Like many other school districts in our area, Pearland ISD faces a potential budget shortfall from state funding. That number is said to be around $12 million for Pearland ISD. Just last week, the district launched a search for a new superintendent. Pearland's previous superintendent resigned to accept a job in the Waco school district. We'll bring you more details today on Eyewitness News. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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Students walk off campus to protest teacher layoffs

KATY, TX (KTRK) -- Out of the classroom and crying out against district budget cuts -- students at three local high schools walked out of school in protest of the cuts that will cost hundreds of teachers their jobs. Facing huge budget shortfalls, school districts across southeast Texas are slashing spending and jobs.

Students in Katy ISD are speaking out about what they consider an unfair decision by the district. Katy ISD is facing a $50 million budget shortfall, due to cuts in funding from the state. Officials say 350 teachers have been given notice their jobs will not be renewed. An additional 224 teachers have already resigned or chosen to retire early.

Students at Morton Ranch, Cinco Ranch and Mayde Creek High Schools all walked left class Thursday to protest the cuts.

One large group of Morton Ranch High School students, estimated at 100 to 200 teens, stood outside the school Thursday morning to protest the district teachers who were laid off on Wednesday, and they can't understand why. Students complained that their teachers were called out of class. Some were immediately replaced by substitute teachers, while their own teachers left crying.

The district says teachers were not forced to leave school, but were given the option to leave for the day after receiving the difficult news, and so substitute teachers were standing by. Teachers will remain in class, employed, until the end of the school year.

"They fired good teachers that work hard and have helped me get through my high school so far," said Morton Ranch High School student Jacob Bushen.

"I think it was tasteless how they went about letting the teachers go," Morton Ranch High School parent Bonnie Hoyt. "These kids shouldn't be exposed to teachers getting laid off in front of them, teachers walking out and crying, teachers leaving the classroom. I've been laid off before and I know how it feels. They should have waited until Friday and early dismissal to let the teachers get their thoughts together. These kids don't have to be exposed to such a thing."

Katy ISD spokesperson Steve Stanford explained, "They are seeing firsthand, where a budget situation in Austin is impacting the teachers that they love and they hate to see go. We understand that emotion. The superintendent understands that emotion. In fact, he shares that emotion and is going out to the campus later today."

District officials say they were surprised by the protest. Students say they organized it quickly on Facebook and other social media. There will be no disciplinary action to the students. The district considers this a learning experience.

Officials add that the teachers who were laid off had probationary contracts, meaning they were relatively new to teaching or to Katy ISD.

If you captured any video or photos of the walkouts Thursday, please email them to news@abc13.com or upload them on our iWitness Reports page.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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