Celina ISD Lawsuit: Allegations, Immunity, and Case Status

The Celina ISD lawsuits are a group of civil cases filed in Collin County, Texas, by families who say the school district knew a middle school football coach was a danger to students and hid his misconduct to protect its football program. The suits were filed under a new Texas law, House Bill 4623, that strips public school districts of the sovereign immunity they once used to block such claims. The district denies the allegations and has asserted immunity in its response.

What the Lawsuits Allege

At least four lawsuits have been filed in the 471st District Court of Collin County against Celina Independent School District and former coach William Caleb Elliott.¹ The largest, filed December 3, 2025, by a legal team that includes State Representative Mitch Little, represents 17 families.² The first was filed the week of October 27, 2025, by Nix Patterson on behalf of three Moore Middle School families.³

All of the suits share a theory of gross negligence and cover-up. The specific allegations include:

That Elliott had an unlawful relationship with a male Celina High School student during the 2022–2023 school year, and that rather than report it, the district quietly transferred him to Moore Middle School in 2023.⁴
That Elliott was previously caught placing a camera in the boys’ locker room, and the district’s only response was to bar him from the locker room when students were present.⁵
That a district employee reported Elliott’s inappropriate behavior toward children and was told by administrators that the report was untrue; the employee later left the district.⁶
That Caleb Elliott is the son of Bill Elliott, Celina’s longtime head football coach and athletic director, and that his father’s standing in the district shielded him from accountability.³

Named defendants include the district itself, Superintendent Tom Maglisceau, Moore Middle School Principal Allison Ginn, and Athletic Director Bill Elliott.³ Each filing seeks damages in excess of $1 million, and total potential restitution across the cases has been estimated at roughly $15.5 million.¹ Celina ISD has filed a response denying all allegations and asserting immunity under state law.⁴

The Conduct at the Center of the Suits

Caleb Elliott, 26, was arrested on October 3, 2025, after two middle school boys reported that he had been secretly recording them. Investigators found images of naked or partially undressed students on his phone.⁵ A federal grand jury in Sherman indicted him on November 12, 2025, on eight counts of production and attempted production of child pornography.⁷ In late January 2026, a Collin County grand jury added four state charges, including promotion of child pornography, invasive visual recording in a bathroom or dressing room, and two counts of sexual performance of a child.⁸

Celina police identified 38 victims.⁶ The lawsuits allege Elliott recorded male student-athletes while they were undressing and showering, and that in some instances he coerced boys into exercises such as jumping jacks and burpees while naked.⁹ Elliott resigned from the district, surrendered his teaching certificate, and has been held in the Collin County Jail since November 7, 2025, with bond set at $350,000.⁷ No trial date has been set in either case.

Why the District Cannot Hide Behind Immunity

The Celina suits are among the first filed under Texas House Bill 4623, which took effect September 1, 2025. The law waives governmental immunity for public school districts and abolishes official immunity for individual school employees in cases involving sexual misconduct against students or failure to report suspected child abuse.¹ Before HB 4623, Texas districts could invoke sovereign immunity to defeat such claims outright.

The law reaches a wide range of “professional school employees,” including superintendents, teachers, counselors, bus drivers, and school board members. It requires the individual employee alleged to have committed the misconduct to be named as a defendant alongside the district. Damages are capped at $500,000 per claimant, and prevailing parties may recover court costs and attorney’s fees.¹⁰ The bill passed the Texas House 109–19 and the Senate unanimously, and was signed into law on June 20, 2025.¹¹ Rep. Mitch Little, one of the bill’s primary authors, now represents plaintiffs in the Celina ISD cases.²

The District’s Investigation Reached Different Conclusions

Celina ISD hired outside attorney Giana Ortiz in late October 2025 to conduct an independent investigation and placed Maglisceau, Ginn, and Bill Elliott on paid administrative leave.¹² Ortiz interviewed approximately 39 witnesses, and the district released a redacted version of her report on January 16, 2026.¹³

Her findings cut against the lawsuits’ core allegations. Ortiz reported no evidence that Caleb Elliott had an improper relationship with a student in 2022–2023, that he had placed cameras in a locker room, or that any district employee knew of his alleged misconduct before his October 2025 arrest.¹⁴ The report did find operational problems: Bill Elliott had pressured Principal Ginn into hiring his son, and board members agreed that pressure was “inappropriate.” Ginn told the investigator she had been “forced to hire Caleb Elliott.”¹⁵

Rep. Little accused the Celina Police Department of having “stopped their investigation where they wanted to and not necessarily where the evidence would lead them.”¹⁶ Parents and plaintiffs’ attorneys called the review rushed and criticized its heavy redactions.¹⁴ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton directed his Criminal Investigations Division to look into whether district staff had prior knowledge of Elliott’s actions and whether the district complied with Texas law, and the Texas Education Agency opened its own Special Investigation.¹⁷

What Happened to the Named Administrators

Bill Elliott. The athletic director announced his departure from the district on January 14, 2026, shortly before the Ortiz report was released.¹⁸ On March 19, 2026, the Texas Education Agency permanently revoked his teaching certificate and placed him on the state’s Do Not Hire Registry.¹⁹ The revocation followed a TEA investigation into a separate allegation dating to about 1995, when a former student accused him of sexual assault during her junior and senior years of high school. A TEA investigator contacted Celina police about the allegation on November 12, 2025, but the statute of limitations barred criminal prosecution.²⁰ Elliott surrendered his certificate in lieu of a formal TEA proceeding, making it permanently invalid without the option to reapply.²¹

Allison Ginn. The Moore Middle School principal announced her departure the same day as Bill Elliott.¹⁸ The investigative report quoted a text message she sent in August 2023: “Complete and utter bs; Every blow from athletics makes me regret my decision to come to Celina.” After Caleb Elliott’s arrest, she reportedly said of Bill Elliott, “I seriously think Bill thinks he is innocent or he must be an idiot.”¹⁵

Tom Maglisceau. The superintendent remains in his position despite public calls for his resignation. On March 30, 2026, the Celina ISD board voted 5–2 to extend his contract, with trustees Jennifer Driver and Michael Wagoner voting no.²² He remains a named defendant in the pending litigation.²³

Where the Cases Stand

As of mid-2026, the civil lawsuits remain pending in the 471st District Court of Collin County. No settlements, trial dates, or rulings on the district’s immunity defense have been publicly reported. Caleb Elliott remains in custody awaiting trial on both state and federal charges. The district has updated its locker room policies and partnered with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County for additional employee training on child abuse prevention.²⁴

1
TPR. New Accountability for Sexual Misconduct Could Cost Texas School Districts Millions
2
NBC DFW. Lawsuit Against Celina ISD, Former Coach: 17 Families
3
Texas Scorecard. More Families Sue Celina ISD Over Locker Room Recording Scandal
4
CBS News Texas. Third Lawsuit: Celina ISD Enabled Former Teacher Coach Caleb Elliott’s Alleged Sexual Misconduct
5
Fox 4 News. Victims Sue Celina ISD Claiming District Hid Coach’s History of Sexual Misconduct
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KERA News. Former Celina ISD Coach Hit With Additional Child Sexual Abuse Charge, New Lawsuit
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Texas Scorecard. Celina ISD Coach Hit With Federal Child Exploitation Charges
8
NBC DFW. Grand Jury Indicts Former Celina ISD Middle School Football Coach on 4 Charges
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CBS News Texas. Former Celina ISD Teacher Coach Caleb Elliott Indicted on Multiple Felony Charges Involving Students
10
BillTrack50. HB4623 – Texas 89th Legislature
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The Texan. Bill Curbing School District Sovereign Immunity in Sexual Abuse Cases En Route to Abbott’s Desk
12
KERA News. Second Lawsuit Filed Against Celina ISD Over Former Teacher’s Alleged Sexual Misconduct
13
KERA News. Redacted Report: Systemic Issues in Celina Athletics, Moore Middle School
14
CBS News Texas. Celina ISD Finds No Staff Wrongdoing in Caleb Elliott Case; Critics Call Review Rushed
15
WFAA. Celina ISD Releases Redacted Investigative Report on Arrest of Former Coach, Teacher
16
Dallas Morning News. Celina PD Ended Probe Into Coach Accused of Recording Students Too Soon, State Rep Says
17
KERA News. Attorney General Ken Paxton Investigates Celina ISD Teacher Sexual Misconduct Allegations
18
Texas Scorecard. Celina ISD Parents Call on Top School Officials to Resign
19
Dallas Morning News. Former Celina Football Coach Bill Elliott’s Teaching Certificate Revoked by TEA
20
WFAA. Former Celina Coach Bill Elliott Teacher Certificate Revoked
21
Texas Scorecard. Past Celina Student Accuses Former Football Coach Bill Elliott of Rape
22
Texas Scorecard. Scandal-Plagued Celina ISD Extends Superintendent’s Contract
23
Dallas Morning News. Celina ISD Board Renews Superintendent’s Contract
24
Celina ISD. Board Statement Following Review of the Independent Investigation Report