KIPP Explore Academy staffer on the run after indecency charge
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A former staff member at KIPP Explore Academy who has been charged with indecency with a child is on the loose.
Brandon McElveen, 33, worked at the school. Parents said he was involved in athletics.
Neither police nor the school will elaborate on the allegations, but the superintendent said it fired McElveen after learning about the allegations.
"It was disappointing. I was sad. I was really broken because KIPP is very careful on the people that they hire," said parent Rita Delarosa.
KIPP Houston Public Schools confirmed to Eyewitness News the contents of a letter sent to parents on Monday informing them of allegations against McElveen.
According to the letter, McElveen was placed on administrative leave when school leaders found out about allegations of indecency with a child against their staff member. He has since been terminated, said KIPP Superintendent Sehba Ali.
The letter did not indicate whether McElveen is accused of any incidents on campus.
KIPP assured parents in the letter that its employees go through regular and mandatory training through a Texas state-approved program aimed at preventing child sexual abuse.
"We have protocol for staff, students, and families to report suspected abuse," the letter stated, though no specifics of McElveen's case were detailed. "We have programs in place for supporting students and their families when they come forward."
McElveen's neighbors said officers were looking for him on Tuesday morning, a day after parents received the letter.
They said they haven't seen him for a couple of weeks and were concerned to learn the news.
