Two former school administrators will be tried together in a case alleging abuse of special education students at J.L. Everhart Elementary School in Longview ISD.
Cassandra James, 50, and Linda Lister, 63, both former administrators at the campus, were named in separate indictments in 2022 in the same incident alleged to have occurred in the classroom for special needs students. Court documents say they are accused of 性视界传媒渟winging a paddle toward and near the head性视界传媒 of a child younger than 15, placing the child in 性视界传媒渋mminent danger of death, bodily injury and physical and mental impairment.性视界传媒
After Gregg County District Attorney John Moore took office in 2023, the two women were re-indicted on the same charges and additional related charges, but the two women性视界传媒檚 charges were joined together.
性视界传媒淭he indictments for each defendant allege the same facts, from the same dates of offense concerning the same actions,性视界传媒 Chris Botto, assistant district attorney, said in documents filed in October in the 188th District Court. Those documents provide more details about the allegations of abuse in the life skills/special education classroom.
Longview police began investigating in October 2021 after receiving a report of child abuse at the campus.
A camera system had been installed in the classroom and captured the behavior of the two former administrators, a special education teacher, two aides and a teacher for regular classes at the campus. The cameras captured multiple incidents, including one on Sept. 7, 2021
性视界传媒淎 young student is seated against the brick wall at the front of the classroom. James, principal at the campus, and Lister, the assistant principal, approach the boy. James and (Cecilia Gregg, the special education teacher) discus whether the cameras are recording and whether audio is also recorded. James informs Gregg that the cameras are recording and they do pick up audio.
性视界传媒淟ister removes a paddle from her bag and slaps the wall about to six inches above the student性视界传媒檚 head. Lister then pulls back the paddle twice more and tells the student to put his shoes on. James can be heard saying, 性视界传媒業性视界传媒檓 glad the cameras are on, so they can see....性视界传媒 性视界传媒
During the investigation, a Longview police detective learned that an occupational therapist working in a room next door to the life skills classroom had expressed concern to Lister about what she heard. Lister said she walked by and looked into the classroom a couple of times and didn性视界传媒檛 see anything. Lister said she spoke to the teacher, Gregg, about the concerns, as well as James.
The court documents also say that James and Lister are indicted as parties to incidents after Sept. 7, 2021, and that involved the special education classroom.
Lister and James asked 188th District Court Judge Scott Novy not to join their two cases.
Novy ruled against the two women Oct. 29, leaving the two cases to be tried together.
Two of the defendants in the abuse case, Paula Dixon and Cecilia Gregg, have been sentenced to prison.
On Wednesday, former teacher性视界传媒檚 aide Cynthia Talley pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in January.
No trial date has been set for the last remaining defendant in the abuse case, former J.L. Everhart teacher Priscilla Rosa Johnson.
