Three staffers at an Arlington charter school are facing felony charges in an ongoing investigation into allegations of child grooming and an improper relationship with a student.
Police with the Newman International Academy said they plan to hold a news conference at 4 p.m. Thursday to address questions about their investigation at the Gibbins campus, a 7th-12th grade campus in North Arlington. Live video from the news conference will appear in the video player at the top of this page.
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In a statement, NIA police said instructional aide Ruel Barbee was arrested on Feb. 6 and charged with improper relationship between an educator and a student, a second-degree felony. Police said they were informed of evidence against Barbee during an investigation into an unrelated case and arrested him the same day.
After a week-long investigation into the Barbee case, where they said they spoke with teachers and students and obtained physical evidence, NIA police said they arrested a second educator and a principal.
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On Feb. 10, NIA police said they arrested 20-year-old Gabrielle Little, who surrendered at the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office on a felony charge of child grooming. According to jail records, Little is free after posting a $15,000 bond.
On Feb. 12, NIA police said Gibbins campus principal Rick Adams had been arrested and charged with five counts of tampering with evidence, tampering with a witness, and failure to report abuse, all felonies. On Thursday afternoon, Adams was still being held in the Tarrant County Jail on bonds totaling $50,000.
NIA police said both Barbee and Little were immediately terminated. Adams is on administrative leave with pay. It’s unclear if any of the accused educators have obtained attorneys to speak on their behalf.
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NIA police shared no further details about the victim or the investigation but said they would release additional details “as permitted by law.”
Dr. Sheba George, the Superintendent for Newman International Academy, wrote in a statement:
“We will root out any exploitation or abuse of our students. There is absolutely no excuse that could justify the actions of educators who do not care about the well-being of students or who hurt them. It is my hope and prayer that other institutions responsible for the safety and well-being of children would take similar actions in response to this epidemic in our schools. At Newman International Academy, we will do what is right. We will fight for the justice of victims.
We will not tolerate abuse or any action that attempts to cover up or hide it. We will deal with all allegations of misconduct of our staff fairly, but make no mistake: There is no place here at Newman where we will protect an educator or this institution’s reputation over a student’s life and the justice deserved by a victim of abuse.”
Anyone with additional information regarding the investigation is asked to contact the Newman International Academy Police Department at 682-207-5176 or police@niadps.org.
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