A substitute teacher was instructing a fourth-grade class in Austin last month when the school got an urgent call: remove the teacher from campus at once! The unvetted substitute, Alexander Jeffrey Hill, had just been flagged by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services for an alleged incident at another school.
And as they were escorting Hill off the campus of IDEA Public Schools, three students that had been in his classroom complained, one saying that the teacher "grabbed their private parts," another child saying he whispered in their ear, and a third who said the teacher "began to push them against the wall with his groin," according to an affidavit, via KXAN.
Rep. James Talarico (D–TX) soon after sent a statement that blamed the incident, at least in part, on Governor Greg Abbott's negligence: "I'm deeply concerned by reports that substitute teachers haven't been properly vetted, particularly in light of the current teacher shortage. That's why we need to fully fund our neighborhood schools and why Governor Abbott should stop his extreme attacks on public education. I'll be looking for real, bipartisan solutions to keep this from ever happening again."
And IDEA Public Schools sent this to KXAN:
IDEA is aware of allegations of indecency with a child involving a substitute teacher at one campus and allegations of prior improper behavior involving the same substitute teacher at another campus. The substitute teacher is no longer on the campuses. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement in the investigation. IDEA takes all allegations of abuse seriously and has taken actions in accordance with the law and network policy. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to share further details. All questions should be directed to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Hill has since been arrested and charged with indecency with a child.
