Defending Teachers and Coaches Accused of Child Sex Crimes in Texas

If you are searching for a teacher or coach accused of child sexual abuse Texas defense lawyer, you probably need clear answers first. In Texas, an accusation starts a legal process. It is not a conviction. This guide explains the charges that often come up, what a criminal defense lawyer reviews, and what to expect at each stage.

What This Page Covers and Who It Is For

This page is for teachers, coaches, and other school or youth-program staff in Texas who have been accused, questioned, arrested, or are under investigation for a child sex offense. Many readers are a spouse, parent, or family member. You didn’t choose this situation, and you need to understand it quickly.

An accusation is not a finding of guilt. Texas criminal cases move through defined stages, and each stage has its own rules. Knowing the order helps you ask better questions.

Barbieri Law Firm is an all-women criminal defense firm based in Frisco, Texas. It defends professionals accused of sex crimes and assaultive offenses in Collin County, Dallas-Fort Worth, and across Texas.

Charges That Can Arise From a Teacher or Coach Accusation

The charge depends on the alleged conduct, the child’s age, and where the conduct happened. These are the charges that often come up in school and youth-program cases.

• Indecency with a child. Texas law covers a child younger than 17. Texas Penal Code § 21.11 makes sexual contact a second-degree felony and exposure a third-degree felony.
• Sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault. Under Texas Penal Code § 22.011, a child is anyone younger than 17. Texas Penal Code § 22.021 makes aggravated sexual assault a first-degree felony. The minimum prison term rises to 25 years in certain cases, including when the victim is younger than 10.
• Punishment goes up if the minor is younger than 14. It also goes up if the conduct happened during school hours and the actor knew or should have known the minor was enrolled in school.
• Under § 33.021(f), an offense under subsection (c) is a felony of the second degree. An offense under subsection (b) is a felony of the third degree, except that it is a felony of the second degree if the minor is younger than 14 years of age or is someone the actor believes to be younger than 14.
• Continuous sexual abuse. Under Texas Penal Code § 21.02, an offense occurs when a person commits two or more acts of sexual abuse during a period that is 30 or more days in duration, regardless of whether the acts are committed against one or more victims, and at the time of each act the actor is 17 years of age or older and the victim is either a child younger than 14 years of age (regardless of whether the actor knows the victim’s age at the time of the offense) or a disabled individual. The victim must be younger than 14 or a disabled individual. The TDCAA journal article on continuous sexual abuse is a published source on the offense.

One accusation can lead to several counts, but under the continuous sexual abuse statute a defendant may not be charged with more than one count if all of the specific acts of sexual abuse are alleged to have been committed against a single victim. The count list affects bond, possible exposure, and the defense. A careful review checks each count against the actual facts.

What a Criminal Defense Lawyer Reviews and Does

A defense lawyer starts by reviewing what the State has and what it does not yet have. In these cases, the review usually covers five areas.

• The complainant’s account. Police reports, child advocacy interviews, and written statements show how the allegation was first made and who heard it. We will review how any statement was obtained and explain your options.
• Electronic records. Phone records, texts, social media messages, and school-issued device data can show who said what, and when.
• The timeline. Schedules, sign-out logs, practice or game calendars, and witness availability can test whether the alleged events could have happened the way they were described.
• Cases with little physical evidence. When there is no physical proof, the review focuses on the account itself. The questions are when it was made, to whom, and whether it changed over time.
• Release conditions. Bond terms and protective orders can limit contact with the complainant, students, or school locations. Texas Penal Code § 25.07 makes it an offense to knowingly or intentionally violate a condition of bond in a family violence, sexual assault or abuse, indecent assault, stalking, or trafficking case when the condition relates to the safety of a victim or the community and the violation involves conduct listed in the statute, such as going to or near a protected place or possessing a firearm.

Common mistakes can make a case harder. People talk to investigators without legal advice. They reach out to students or their families. They post about the case online. Each of these can create new evidence.

How the Case Typically Moves Through the System

Most cases follow the same general path, although timing varies widely. Here is the usual order.

1. School report and first contact. A case involving a student may begin with a report made at school. The Children’s Advocacy Centers educator guide is published for educators.
2. Child protective and police investigations. A Department of Family and Protective Services investigation can run alongside a criminal case. Each process has its own steps and its own rights. The DFPS parent’s guide to investigations is published by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for parents.
3. Arrest, charging, and bond. The charging documents set the counts. The first court appearance addresses release conditions.
4. Discovery and investigation. The defense requests and reviews the State’s evidence. It also identifies what is still missing.
5. Pretrial work and decisions. Motions, negotiations, and trial preparation happen here. A plea can sometimes lead to deferred adjudication community supervision. Each option should be explained before any decision is made.

Common Questions While a Case Is Pending

Most questions come down to work, contact, and communication.

• Work. School policy, the charges, and the timing all affect questions about continued employment or coaching. A lawyer can review those points with you.
• Contact. Avoid contacting the complainant, students, witnesses, or their families, even informally. A message can create a bond problem and becomes evidence.
• Comments to others. When administrators, colleagues, or parents ask questions, keep answers brief. Say the matter is with your lawyer.
• Old messages. Texts and social media posts with former students can be reviewed later. Stop posting about the case.
• Under Texas Family Code § 85.022, which applies only to protective orders in family violence matters, a court can prohibit a respondent from going to or near the school that a protected child normally attends. Under Texas Family Code § 85.022, in an order under Subsection (b)(3) or (4), the court must specifically describe each prohibited location and any minimum distance, unless Section 85.007 applies.
• Privacy of the school employee. Under Texas Penal Code § 21.12, for an accusation of an improper educator-student relationship offense under that section, a school may not release externally to the general public the name of an accused employee until the employee is indicted, except as the statute allows for reporting and investigation. Exceptions cover reporting the accusation to the Texas Education Agency, another state agency, or local law enforcement, reporting it to the school’s members or community under its policies or procedures or religious law, and conducting an investigation of the accusation.

Bring specific questions to a first meeting. Useful ones include the bond terms, what has been recorded, whether any statement was given, and what the school has asked for in writing.

How Barbieri Law Firm Serves Families

Families searching for a teacher or coach accused of child sexual abuse Texas defense lawyer want someone who will review the facts carefully. Barbieri Law Firm is an all-women criminal defense firm based in Frisco, Texas. It defends professionals accused of sex crimes and assaultive offenses.

Heather Jean Barbieri, Board Certified, Criminal Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization, is the founding attorney and responsible lawyer for this page.

Our attorneys and our team serve clients in Collin County, Dallas-Fort Worth, and across Texas. Our approach is to review the recordings, timelines, and records closely. We then explain your options clearly and walk through each step as the case moves.

No lawyer can promise how a case will end. Our role is to review the evidence and explain your options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk With Our Attorneys Before the Next Step

If you are a teacher or coach facing this accusation, or a family member of one, you may have questions about work, home, and messages, and we can discuss them with you. You don’t have to face the next step alone. Call (972) 424-1902, or send us your case details so our attorneys can review the situation before we talk.

Attorney responsible for this site: Heather Jean Barbieri, Barbieri Law Firm, Frisco, Texas.