Former Magnolia ISD teacher faces new charges for inappropriate sexual contact with students

MAGNOLIA, Texas (KTRK) -- A former Magnolia Independent School District teacher is now facing two new felony charges for having inappropriate sexual contact with elementary school students.

Jason Maldonado was first arrested back in May, for similar charges.

Parent Tayla Craig said her daughter was one of the many victims.

"Heartbreaking is the only word I can use, it crushes you to know that your child felt that way," parent Tayla Craig said.

The two new felony charges date back to 2023 and 2024, one of them for having sexual contact with a child under the age of 17.

Magnolia ISD said they were first made aware of sexual reports against Maldonado in December 2025, but parents said they told the administrators years before that.

"This started with a mother making a complaint in 2022 and then we had another complaint in 2023, another complaint in 2024 and then finally the complaint in 25 that finally sealed the deal," Craig said.

ABC13 has received formal complaints and documentation dating back to at least 2023.

ABC13 also reached out to the district again and it continues to say they were not made aware of any conduct that was sexual in nature about Maldonaldo prior to the complaint in December 2025.

"There has to be accountability, there has to be accountability in our schools. These people are supposed to be safe for our children, and instead it appears that Texas has a problem," Craig said.

Data from the Texas education agency reveals teacher misconduct reports have tripled over the last two school years.

During the 2024 to 2025 school year there were 5,184 total misconduct reports and last school year, there were 16,848.

Of the reports in the 2024 to 2025 school year, 580 were for inappropriate relationships, communication or sexual offenses and in 2025 to 2026, there were 1,772 of those reports.

Governor Abbott now running for his fourth term, announcing a new campaign proposal for Texas teachers this week.

"Every prosecutor in the state must get a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars for any criminal who assaults a student at school," Gov. Abbott said.

Abbot also proposing they should have to register as a sex offender.

Currently, educators charged with an inappropriate relationship with is student aren't automatically put on the sex offender registry. It's something that has been proposed by state lawmakers before but didn't become law. Craig said it's shocking something like this isn't already in place - but hopes it could make a difference.

"To take action, to remove these people from classrooms and prosecute them in the appropriate manner and not allow them to be out on the streets in just a little while and back in classrooms in other states," said Craig. Maldonado's teaching license has been suspended by the TEA and he's now on the state's DO NOT HIRE list.

Maldonado's attorneys said he continues deny the allegations.