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Bastrop ISD teacher accused of improper relationships with two Cedar Creek High School students
The incidents allegedly happened in December of last year and this past March.
CEDAR CREEK, Texas - Roy Franks is charged with two counts indecency with a child, and two counts of an improper relationship with a student.
He is accused of inappropriately touching two children while they were enrolled at Cedar Creek High School. The incidents allegedly occurred in December 2021, and March of this year
BastropISD sent a statement that said:
Bastrop ISD Human Resources officials learned about the allegation against Mr. Franks on March 25, 2022. He was placed on leave the same day and barred from campus. The incident was turned over to the Bastrop ISD Police Department for a full investigation. In keeping with our protocols and the law, the District reported the allegation to Child Protective Services and the State Board for Educator Certification. Mr. Franks resigned on April 6.
Bastrop ISD's highest priority is the safety of our students, and we stand firm in that commitment. We will continue to work closely and cooperate fully with law enforcement and agency partners as this case progresses.
Franks' attorney Ken Bigham said this did not happen, and they deny all of these allegations.
"He feels at the end of the day, that he will be exonerated when everything comes to light," said Bigham.
Franks has a background in public safety and the district said he was a law enforcement teacher on the campus.
"He’s a family man and has children and he’s always been very active in the community, very well-known and respected in the community," said Bigham.
According to the Texas Education Agency, this past fiscal year there were 302 reports of improper relationships. Allegations like these were on the rise in the recent past, said Texas Senator Paul Bettencourt, who authored the bill to crack down on improper relationships between educators and students.
"The problem was we had some school districts resisting subpoenas from TEA on these cases," he said.
"We’ve now increased penalties, made it an offense not to have principals and administrators report these cases," said Bettencourt.