Last week, an East Texas school board voted to allow its board president to continue serving in his position after he was arrested in connection with an investigation into alleged efforts to conceal child abuse.
On Aug. 17, Winnsboro Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted 5-2 against an agenda item to reorganize the board, including nominating, electing, and appointing a new board president, vice president, and secretary.
The decision allowed Board President Brandon Green to continue serving in his position. Trustees Michael Walpole and Shavon Duffey voted in favor of the reorganization.
“We 100% support y’all, and Brandon Green, we know what kind of man you are. We support you 100%. He’s a good guy. He’s a man of faith and a man of God. He’s from a wonderful family. If you’re from here, you know his parents. It’s time for our community and schools to heal and move forward. Enough is enough. Thank you,” a public forum speaker said.
The situation arose after Winnsboro High School teacher and coach Nicholas Gabriel was arrested in June 2025 for having a sexual relationship with a student.
Green was arrested earlier this month and charged with failing to report child abuse and tampering or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair.
However, Green isn’t the only district official involved in the case.
After Gabriel was arrested, another coach was arrested and charged with failing to report the alleged abuse. The investigation then reached the district’s top officials, with Superintendent Aaron Nation and former Superintendent Brian Wilcox also arrested and charged in January with offenses related to failing to report the alleged abuse.
Following the board’s decision, Green will remain board president unless he resigns or becomes ineligible to serve. Under Texas law, a person is ineligible to serve as a school district trustee if convicted of a felony.
Residents can also petition a court seeking the removal of a trustee under certain circumstances.
