Goose Creek CISD teacher made district aware of student abuse investigation before 1st day on job
Melody LaPointe was a Liberty ISD educator at the time of allegations involving a student being forced to eat their own feces.
HIGHLANDS, Texas (KTRK) -- An educator, who departed from her Liberty County job in the midst of allegations that she deprived a student of food to the point where the child ate their own feces, made the incident aware to her current school district, which hired her anyway.
Eyewitness News obtained a Goose Creek Consolidated ISD letter sent to families of children who attend Hopper Primary School, where 47-year-old Melody LaPointe has taught since August. The letter dated Nov. 28 elaborated on LaPointe's paid administrative leave, which was first known to parents in a Nov. 17 letter, as well as how the district handled her hiring the previous spring.
The video above is from a Nov. 22, 2022 report.
Goose Creek initially said Liberty County constables arrested LaPointe due to matters unrelated to GCCISD. Kristyn Hunt Cathey, the district's director of communications, wrote in the latest letter that Goose Creek received no complaints or concerns from anyone regarding the teacher.
Despite this, Cathey, on behalf of the district, said it was aware of LaPointe's connection to an investigation when she was offered a position earlier this year, though, as the letter states, she expected the case to be concluded shortly.
ORIGINAL STORY: Liberty ISD student deprived of food ate own feces, authorities say
The letter also mentions that LaPointe presented Texas Department of Family Protective Services documentation, stating "an allegation of neglectful supervision had been ruled out."
Cathey went on the state that her previous district, Liberty ISD, provided an "excellent recommendation" to Goose Creek CISD human resources and that a pre-employment background check revealed no criminal history.
LaPointe and two former Liberty ISD instructional assistants, Tarah Tinney and Augusta Costlow, were charged with four counts of abandoning or endangering a child. Court documents state the three women are accused of isolating a student who ingested their own feces and urine when they deprived the student of food in 2021.
Liberty ISD added that LaPointe was no longer with the district when her former school was aware of the allegations. Tinney and Costlow were placed on administrative leave but resigned before the end of an investigation.
"We immediately reported the matter to law enforcement and CPS, removed the educators who continued to work for us from the classroom, and conducted a comprehensive investigation. Based upon our investigation, we reported the educators to the State Board for Educator Certification and shared our results with law enforcement officials," Liberty ISD wrote in an earlier statement.
LaPointe also has an investigatory flag on her Texas Educator Certificate, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Goose Creek CISD is investigating LaPointe and will determine her future with the district based on the investigation's outcome.
The full letter from Goose Creek Consolidated ISD, regarding Melody LaPointe:
November 28, 2022
Dear Hopper Primary School Family,
Your children are our #1 priority and we recognize that providing them with a safe space to learn is paramount.
As a school district, it is also our duty to remain transparent with our stakeholders. You may recall the Hopper parents received a letter on November 17th regarding a teacher's arrest that occurred during school dismissal the day before the holiday break. The district has been contacted by several local media outlets about the incident during the Thanksgiving break and provided that same statement to them.
We want to be clear that while employed at GCCISD, there have been no complaints or concerns reported by staff, students or parents about this teacher. When the district became aware of the arrest, the teacher was immediately placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of this investigation at which time appropriate action will be taken.
To keep you informed of what we know, the teacher, who was offered a position in the Spring of 2022 to begin in August 2022, made the district aware there was an investigation for an incident in Liberty County that she expected to be concluded shortly. Additionally, the teacher provided documentation from the Texas Department of Family Protective Services that an allegation of neglectful supervision had been ruled out. The district's Human Resources department contacted her previous district who provided an excellent recommendation. The district's background check, which included a criminal background check, did not reveal any criminal history.
All staff members are hired under a probationary period at which time their employment is deemed either proficient or non-proficient, in which further employment decisions are considered. In this case, the investigation will play a determining role in the employment decision. Please note that while untimely, the district took swift action in the decision to place the employee on said leave.
Should you have further questions please contact our Human Resources department.
Sincerely,
Kristyn Hunt Cathey, Director of Communications
