Warning signs missed? Parents say they warned school about former teacher’s behavior

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -Amid revelations surrounding the arrest of former International Leadership of Texas (ILTexas) teacher Jose Hernandez Grimaldo on charges of sexually assaulting a student, parents are speaking out, saying they had previously warned the school about his alleged troubling behavior.

All of this came to light only after KBTX first reported the arrest of Grimaldo, 46, of Seagoville, who was arrested last week following the accusations that he sexually assaulted a 12-year-old in a restroom on campus and threatened to harm her if she told anyone.

Documents obtained by KBTX reveal that despite parents’ concerns about Hernandez Grimaldo’s actions, including incidents of inappropriate touching, ILTexas officials allowed him to move to another campus after he appealed a decision against him.

Jose Adrian Hernandez Grimaldo

News of a 12-year-old student alleging sexual assault by Hernandez Grimaldo has stirred strong emotions among Erin and Michael Williams, who recount their distress when their son was harmed allegedly by the same man. They say their son came home with bruises on his arm less than a month after the Spanish teacher was hired and felt the district continued to ignore parents’ concerns.

“I never felt like I had closure from this incident because I knew that this teacher didn’t need to be in the classroom. I knew that, I knew that he was capable of harming children to the extent that we experienced,” Erin said.

Erin and Michael described their frustration after finding differences between what the school released about the incident and their interactions with police and Child Protective Services.

Photo of bruises to Erin and Michael Williams son

“When I contacted College Station Police, there had been no calls from the school regarding suspected abuse. Same with CPS. I was the first one that contacted CPS to start the formal complaint process,” said Michael.

In a statement, the school said, “Anytime a report of a threat to student safety is received, the report is taken seriously.

But after what happened with the Williams’ son, there were additional allegations of inappropriate touching of students by Hernandez Grimaldo. According to a police report, he was accused of touching a female student in class on her thigh and another on her belly button, in a way that made students feel uncomfortable.

The teacher was fired, then rehired during an appeals process, then transferred to another campus, and remained there even as he was being investigated by police on the sexual assault accusations.

Erin and Michael Williams

Many parents say they ,the a didn’t learn of the sexual assault investigation against Hernandez Grimaldo until our reporting last week of his arrest. Now, Erin and Michael Williams want to see protocols changed to include faster reporting and external investigations.”

“For me personally, I don’t want this to continue. I don’t want it to happen to any other children. And I don’t want these particular administrators to be in charge of a school. They have proven that they’re incompetent. They have proven that they have no place in the education system,” Erin said.

“You send them to a place where you think that they’re safe and it’s supposed to be a safe environment, and you give these educators and these administrators your trust and hope that they’re doing the best for your children. And when they violate that trust, you cannot fully ever get it back,” Erin added.

Online jail records currently indicate that Hernandez Grimaldo remains in custody in Brazos County, facing charges of sexually assaulting a student.

KBTX has filed records requests with College Station Police and IL Texas about this case, our requests have been received by the city and are currently under review.

Latest Statement from IL Texas

Editors Note: The full name of the College Station Police Officer was removed from the above statement.