Parents at a private school in Haslet say they learned this week that the pastor’s son, who is listed on the state sex-offender registry, had been working on campus. Since then, several families have pulled their children from the school and are demanding leadership changes while they wait for an explanation of how he was hired. The discovery has parents pressing for tighter vetting and far more transparency from school leaders.
According to FOX 4, parents told the station they were alarmed to find the man’s name on the registry and said his presence on campus was never disclosed to families. In yesterday's report, the station notes that the revelation led to immediate student withdrawals and that parents are now urging the school’s board to replace administrators who were involved in hiring decisions.
The Texas sex-offender registry is maintained as a public, searchable database that lists registrants’ names, offense types and reported locations, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. For school hiring, the Texas Education Agency describes fingerprinting procedures and a statewide “Do Not Hire” registry used by public schools and charters to screen employees and flag disqualified candidates, per the Texas Education Agency.
What the law requires
Under Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, the state operates a centralized sex-offender registration system and makes most registration data public, including offense information and reported residence details. The law also requires registrants to report changes in employment or residence and allows additional public notices in certain high-risk cases, a measure designed to keep communities informed, according to Justia.
Local precedent
Families in the Haslet area have confronted similar concerns before. In October 2023, an assistant principal at V.R. Eaton High School in Haslet was arrested on child-sex-abuse charges, and the district placed him on administrative leave and barred him from campus while the case moved forward, coverage from WBAP showed. That case left many parents in the district demanding changes to hiring and oversight.
Parents demand accountability
Parents told FOX 4 they want school leaders to explain exactly how the hire happened and to put stronger background checks and disclosure rules in place. Some families say they are looking at other schools while they wait for a thorough and transparent review, and others want an independent audit of hiring practices before they consider returning.
How families can check
Parents who want to verify a person’s registration status can search the state’s public sex-offender database and ask any school or program for its written background-check policy. Using the Texas Department of Public Safety registry and asking whether a private school relies on TEA-style fingerprinting or another formal vetting process are two steps families can take now.
