Dallas ISD to Pay $1M for Not Reporting Teacher’s Child Abuse Allegations

DALLAS – The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a $1 million settlement with the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) concerning allegations of mishandled child abuse claims involving a special education teacher. Dallas ISD reportedly failed to disclose four investigations into Michael Roell, who was later accused of child abuse while teaching at Forney Independent School District (Forney ISD).

U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybold criticized DISD for not reporting Roell’s misconduct to state authorities as mandated by Texas law. Over a span of three years, DISD conducted four separate investigations into misconduct by Roell but did not report any to the state before he resigned in May 2024. As a part of the settlement, DISD agreed to implement new measures for reporting allegations, including collaborations with law enforcement and the review of past sexual misconduct allegations dating back to 2022.