A drama professor at North Central Texas College (NCTC) in Denton was arrested on September 25 and charged with soliciting a minor online. According to an arrest affidavit reported by FOX 4, an undercover deputy in Florida posed as a 14-year-old on Snapchat, and the professor allegedly sent sexually explicit messages and an explicit photo. When asked about his students, he allegedly said he had "been into a few over the years," according to the affidavit as reported by FOX 4.

NCTC fired him three days after the arrest and says it has no reason to think students or staff were involved. That is a start, but a statement is not an investigation. He taught at the college for two years. Families deserve to know whether anyone was harmed in that time, and whether any warning signs were missed.

The NCTC Board of Trustees should order an independent, outside review of his time at the college, share the findings with the public, and give current and former students a safe, confidential way to come forward. The board should also require ongoing background checks and clear conduct rules for every instructor, not just a one-time check at hiring.

This problem reaches beyond one campus. Many Texas community colleges teach high school students through dual-credit programs, so some college instructors work directly with teens. The Texas Legislature should require continuing background screening for college faculty who teach minors, and fully fund the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces that run the kind of online stings that led to this arrest.

He has been charged, not convicted, and the courts will decide his case. But protecting students cannot wait for a verdict.

Sign the petition to demand an independent investigation at NCTC and stronger protections for students across Texas, while there is still time to find out if anyone was hurt.