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Less than one week after the Celina Independent School District placed head football coach Bill Elliott on non-disciplinary leave due to an investigation into his son, a former district employee, some residents are requesting an exception.
A petition asking that Bill Elliott be allowed to attend Friday evening’s “senior night” ceremony is approaching 800 signatures, the majority of which can be traced to the North Texas town’s zip code. The ceremony, held before kickoff at the Oct. 31 game, is a “once-in-a-lifetime milestone” for student athletes, the petition states.
Elliott’s attendance would be “a brief, ceremonial appearance that would not interfere with any ongoing administrative processes,” it adds. The coach is beloved for leading the Bobcats to a 16-0 season and the Class 4A Division I state championship in 2024.
“His presence would honor the relationship between these students and their long-time coach and mentor,” the petition states. “We feel strongly that these athletes should not be penalized any further for this unfortunate circumstance.”
The petition’s organizer could not be immediately reached for comment. Celina ISD had not responded to an email inquiry at the time of publication.
A Small Town Scandal
Bill Elliott was one of two district employees placed on non-disciplinary leave last week at the recommendation of a private, third-party investigator who is investigating the district’s handling of an employee accused of filming middle school students in a locker room. William Caleb Elliott, 26, Bill Elliott’s son, was arrested twice this month and has been charged with invasive visual recording and possession or promotion of child pornography.
Caleb Elliott was a sixth-grade history teacher and eighth-grade football coach at Moore Middle School in Celina, and investigators say he used his coaching position to record materials that “meet the legal definition of child pornography” in the middle school’s locker room. Caleb Elliott is no longer employed with the district and surrendered his teaching license, Celina ISD told reporters, but many have said that isn’t enough.
Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into the matter last week at the behest of State Rep. Jeff Leach of Allen. Also, last week, several families filed a lawsuit against Celina ISD, accusing the district of covering up prior sexual misconduct accusations against Caleb Elliott. According to the lawsuit, Caleb Elliott became romantically involved with a senior at Celina High School in the 2022-2023 school year while he worked as a substitute teacher and receivers coach for the high school football team under his father.
The lawsuit claims that Caleb Elliott was reassigned to a middle school position after officials were made aware of the “improper and unlawful” relationship. The filing also states that, in the 2024-2025 school year, parents were made aware that Caleb Elliott had placed cameras in the boys’ locker room, but he was not removed from his position.
Prior to being put on leave, Bill Elliott publicly apologized to community members during a school board meeting, stating that he understood the public’s “anger” and “frustration.”
“I want you to know how sorry I am, and my family is,” Bill Elliott said. “I want justice to be done, and justice will be done.”
In a letter to district parents on Friday, Celina ISD Superintendent Tom Maglisceau said the reinstatement of Bill Elliott and Moore Middle School Principal Allison Ginn will be determined by the outcome of the district’s third-party investigation, which has been temporarily paused at the request of local authorities. The decision to place the employees on leave was made “out of an abundance of caution” and not based on any findings, Maglisceau said.
Petitioners say their request for Bill Elliott to attend senior night is not a call for the leave to be ended prematurely.
“We are not asking the District to end the administrative leave or prejudge any ongoing processes — only to allow Coach Elliott to participate in this singular, meaningful event for our senior student-athletes,” the petition says.
