The principal of Leonard High School is in the Fannin County Jail after police say he sat on a student's recorded claims of teacher misconduct. Jansen Trotter was arrested Tuesday on a charge of failing to report employee misconduct, and the student who made those claims has since died by suicide. Trotter is presumed innocent, and an arrest is not a determination of guilt.
According to FOX 4 News, police discovered an audio recording of a conversation between the student and Trotter while investigating the student's death. In that recording, the student reported claims of misconduct by a Leonard High School teacher against multiple female students. FOX 4 also reports that Trotter was booked into the Fannin County Jail and that his bond had not been set.
The Leonard Police Department's statement, posted by eextra.news, says Trotter was arrested for failing to report employee misconduct with intent to conceal under Texas Education Code 22A.052(k), a state jail offense. The same statement says authorities learned on October 15 about a recorded message claiming inappropriate behavior. Officials said Trotter was reportedly aware of it but did not notify the superintendent, the school board, or law enforcement.
What Police Have and Haven't Said About the Student's Death
The student involved in the recording recently died by suicide, Leonard Police confirmed. Per FOX 4, police have not seen any evidence that the suicide was prompted by the allegations tied to Trotter's alleged failure to report. The investigation into the student's death and the misconduct claims is ongoing.
Officials have not yet disclosed whether the recording or the alleged misconduct played a role in the death, as the police statement notes. The student's identity and the teacher accused of misconduct have not been publicly named. Nothing in the available reporting establishes whether the alleged misconduct actually occurred.
School District Moves Trotter Off Campus
Leonard ISD has placed Trotter on administrative leave following his arrest, according to FOX 4. No statement from Trotter or an attorney on his behalf has surfaced, and no court date has been reported.
What Texas Guidance Says About Reporting
The Texas Education Agency says school professionals and other mandated reporters have a legal obligation to report suspected child abuse or neglect, and that those reports must go directly to the Department of Family and Protective Services or to law enforcement. Internal notification of a supervisor does not satisfy that requirement, per the agency's guidance. Separate TEA guidance sets a deadline of no later than 24 hours after a professional first has reasonable cause to believe a child has been abused or neglected.
Prosecutors have not yet outlined how the charge will be argued.
A Similar Fight Elsewhere in North Texas
The Leonard case is not the first this year to put a principal's response to abuse accusations under scrutiny. KERA News reported in August that the Plano ISD school board voted to fire a principal named in a lawsuit claiming she and the district knew of but did not act on abuse accusations against a second-grade teacher.
