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UPDATE January 2025: A reader contacted us and shared some current information on Mr Tinker and his employment. The reader shared that Mr Tinker is no longer working in public school education and that he took a job in retail sales.
Updates from the community are VITAL to the public safety of any school children who may or may not be under the care of Mr Tinker. We appreciate our readers so much! Thank you!
Unfortunately, Mr. Tinker’s Texas teacher certification is still valid until June 30th, 2025. It remains to be seen if Mr Tinker will renew or if the Texas State Board of Educator Certification will ALLOW Mr Tinker to renew his certification this year.
As long as Mr. Tinker is eligible to teach in a public school classroom, we will continue to update this page as new information comes available.
UPDATE November 2024: John Tinker contacted this website and sent the following email: “Praying to God this stops”.
Mr Tinker sent this email in reference to our public reporting of this news story, in hopes that his religious prayers would cease public reporting of this news story.
It will not.
The public can only wonder how many of the female students that Mr Tinker taught, or even the ones he admitted to grooming while he was their teacher, may have had the same thought: “praying to God this stops”.
On behalf of protecting vulnerable Texas public school students, we will continue to report this story as long as Mr Tinker remains certified and teaching in classrooms with vulnerable students.
UPDATE June 11th, 2023: The State of Texas is doing what TEA refuses to do: remove sexual predator coaches from our schools and hold them accountable for their actions.
Much like this complaint against John Tinker in 2019, the Texas Education Agency chose to do nothing, even when alleged victims have come forward with impact statements detailing accounts of abuse.
However, the State of Texas is finally holding educators accountable when TEA has failed Texans! Finally, someone in Harris County listened to the many allegations and chose to put Juan Jose Cruz, a Houston coach, on trial, where he was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison! At 56 years old, it is unclear how much of the prison term he will serve. Juan Jose Cruz sexually abused several minor female athletes he was in charge of over many years. Allegations in years prior to his arrest were ignored by administrators and personnel because he was a beloved coach.
If you or someone you know has information to share about former Everman ISD coach John Tinker, please contact us. It is believed that he now resides in a different Texas city, about 125 miles northwest of Everman.
Victims of sexual offenses in Texas can ask to remain anonymous in or be redacted from public court records, and this applies to minors as well. It is the sincere hope of all sexual abuse victims out there that someone hears their cries and does something to help. We are here to help. We are listening.
#houston #coach #juan #cruz #sexual #abuse #convicted #predator
There are 4 parts to this August 5th, 2020 update:
Part 1: TEA investigation conclusion
Part 2: One victim’s story
Part 3: As he rejoins the classroom
Part 4: Making sense of it all
Part 1:
Texas Education Agency has concluded their investigation into John Tinker’s admissions where he admitted to potential grooming of current female students and his explicit admissions of having sex with former female students of his once they graduated.
The results of the investigation are shocking.
They have reinstated his Educator Certification, but only for one specific reason: “insufficient evidence”.
To be clear……
- Their investigation did NOT conclude that his admissions were FALSE.
- Their investigation did NOT conclude that the district-wide allegations against him were FALSE.
- Their investigation did NOT conclude that he did NOT engage in inappropriate sexual conduct or that inappropriate educator conduct of a sexual nature did NOT occur.
His teaching certification was only reinstated because there was “insufficient evidence” to substantiate his own admissions and to substantiate the allegations of sexual impropriety brought forward by the victims who did come forward to TEA investigators.
TEA investigators conducted multiple interviews with John Tinker and he gave the same story to TEA as he gave to Everman ISD: he was lying about his admissions of inappropriate sexual conduct towards current or past female students. (See below on why this is still controversial and unacceptable)
*The details of the CPS investigation have not been made privy to us, as we are not a vested party to that investigation. There is no public process to gain access to that investigation.
Given the vast span of John Tinker’s 20 years of being an educator, it was extremely difficult for TEA investigators to track down victims and the quantity of victims are unknown.
However, some victims did come forward to our investigative reporter once our news story was posted on Twitter and we referred them to TEA investigators who interviewed them.
Part 2:
One such victim shared with us that, at the age of 14, when John Tinker was her junior high school teacher, she alleges that he engaged in lewd, sexual comments towards her that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Sexual predators engage in this type of behavior early on with potential victims to gauge whether they are receptive to this type of grooming or not.
The following school year, he followed her to the high school where he was her 9th grade teacher. One day, when she was 15 years old, he noticed that she was bothered by something and she alleges that he pressured her to tell him what it was. She confessed to him what was going on, as she thought he was a loving, nurturing adult who could help her: she had had sexual relations with a fellow male student and she thought she might be pregnant.
Rather than encourage her to talk to a school counselor, AS IS PROFESSIONAL BEST PRACTICES, she alleges he instead bought her a pregnancy test and offered to discreetly help her if she turned up pregnant.
(Continue reading below to learn about how allegedly he eventually had sex with this female student after she graduated.)
At a minimum, even if only with this one student when she was 14 and 15 years old, John Tinker’s conduct constituted multiple violations of the Educator Code of Ethics of the Texas Education Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 7, Chapter 247, Standards 1.10, 3.2, 3.8 and 3.9 (vi):
Standard 1.10. The educator shall be of good moral character and be worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state, and
Standard 3.2. The educator shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly treat a student or minor in a manner that adversely affects or endangers the learning, physical health, mental health, or safety of the student or minor, and
Standard 3.8. The educator shall maintain appropriate professional educator-student relationships and boundaries based on a reasonably prudent educator standard, and
Standard 3.9, (vi) whether the communication involved discussion(s) of the physical or sexual attractiveness or the sexual history, activities, preferences, or fantasies of either the educator or the student.
What happened next?
She eventually dropped out of high school to raise her child. However, that did not stop John Tinker, aka “Coach TCU”, from pursuing her.
After high school, she alleges he showed up to her house and paid her for sex. She stated that he told her “Ive been waiting since junior high school for this moment” and she alleges they had sex.
He told her that “he even tried reaching out to her on Facebook [to solicit her for sex]”, that “it was his fantasy to have sex with her” and that “he felt lost without her”.
She stated that “the things he said and did to me had a huge impact on my life and future”, that she “has trouble trusting men and teachers” and that she “didn’t really get a chance and felt like a statistic”. She stated that “he needs to be far from everyone and anyone that he’s able to manipulate” and that “he’s destroyed enough young lives”.
She stated that “it’s really scary the effect he has had on my life alone”, that she felt groomed by him “for three years”, that she “had wanted to confront him many times through the years for what he put her through” and that she was happy that someone had finally reported him to TEA and that they had suspended his teaching license and were investigating him.
TEA investigators received this victim’s contact information to interview her, but there was a lack of proof that she could provide, other than Facebook messages.
Part 3:
John Tinker is actively pursuing employment in education and has continued to do so even while this investigation was ongoing. With his teaching certification reinstated, there is no obstacle to him returning to the classroom.
Message to future parents, students and staff: be vigilant!
Texas Education Agency has forsaken their sworn duty to uphold the law to protect future students from potential victimization. Countless new victims could now be subjected to John Tinker’s potential grooming since he is free and clear to return to the classroom.
Many current and former Everman ISD students shared openly on Twitter that John Tinker’s improper sexual conduct was open knowledge at Everman ISD the entire time he was there and yet none of them responded affirmatively when our investigative reporter asked them if they, or any staff, had reported his behavior, comments or even rumors to Everman ISD at the time.
This is a travesty.
Documentation could have been entered on the record that would have resulted in John Tinker being held accountable for his own admitted actions, and prevented further access to female students, if incidents had been reported in time. TEA investigators would have had documentation to follow up with to interview alleged victims and allow them the opportunity to revoke his teaching license during the course of this investigation.
TEA has revoked other educators’ certification for much less.
TEA investigators are absolutely open to new complaints coming forward if more victims come forward, whether past or new victims. They are absolutely open to new complaints coming forward for any misconduct that John Tinker may engage in…….of any nature. They had no other choice than to reinstate his teaching certification, but, rest assured, it was the only reluctant choice that they had.
We encourage future parents, students and staff to diligently and swiftly report any incidents, no matter how small, to district officials so that a record of documentation exists for future TEA investigations.
Part 4:
It speaks volumes that John Tinker has engaged in lying about his behavior in one of the two following scenarios.
Why is this incredibly important?
Two scenarios……
- An educator LIES about potentially grooming current students and having sex with past students.
- An educator tells the TRUTH about potentially grooming current students and having had sex with past students, but LIES about their own truthful admissions when they are caught.
In the first scenario, what decent, honest, ethical educator would LIE about such things?
In the second scenario, what decent, honest, ethical educator would ENGAGE in such things and then LIE to get them out of trouble?
The vast majority of educators would never lie about having taken such horrendous actions, nor would they engage in such horrendous actions.
It is incomprehensible that any upstanding educator would lie about sexual impropriety with students and falsely admit to such actions to other people. This is an incomprehensible failing on behalf of any educator who would lie about such things.
It is incomprehensible, based on John Tinker’s own admissions, that any upstanding educator would engage in sexual impropriety with students, past or current, and then accuse their own selves of having lied about it.
This was not lost on TEA investigators. However, in the absence of sufficient evidence, they had no choice but to unwillingly reinstate his teaching certification, in either scenario.
Rest assured, reinstating his certification was not a decision they wanted to make, but they had no other choice.
And what about his admissions of his own unethical sexual infidelity, aggressive sexual harassment of the Co-worker and snitching on other staff members whom he claimed were engaged in sexual impropriety unbecoming of educators?
John Tinker’s own admissions of sexual impropriety with other female staff members were not lost on TEA investigators. As were his admissions that implicated many other staff members at Everman ISD of a larger culture of sexual impropriety. As was his own aggressive pursuit in wanting sexual activity with the Co-worker when she stated “no” to him at least 6 times when he propositioned her.
However, given that the other male and female staff members that John Tinker implicated, in a wider improper sexual culture at Everman ISD, were of consenting adult age, TEA investigators were unable to affect any restrictions or revocations of his teaching certification on their end, nor of any of their teaching certifications.
It goes without saying that the trouble that John Tinker has made for those educators has placed him in a hostile position with those educators, that they no longer support him, and that they no longer want to be associated with him.
Conclusion….. If any new victims come forward, we will not hesitate to report these to the Texas Education Agency. We encourage members of the community, parents, students and staff to do the same.
UPDATE June 25th, 2020: After speaking by phone with a vested party to this TEA complaint, the following information was shared to us: if Mr. Tinker is found to be accountable and/or guilty for any of the misconduct contained in the TEA complaint, in any portion of the TEA investigation which resulted from the complaint, in any portion of the CPS investigation or in any portion of a criminal investigation, one of the many sanction options he may be facing is the loss of his retirement plan with the State of Texas.
The TEA complaint was initially filed against both his admitted inappropriate relationships with former female students that he taught, as well as his inappropriate sexual conduct towards the co-worker.
However, during the course of this TEA investigation, new victims have come forward alleging inappropriate relationships by Mr. Tinker that were not contained in the initial TEA complaint, and, as indicated by the vested party we spoke with today, additional items of concern have been uncovered during the course of the TEA investigation that were not included in the initial TEA complaint.
Mr. Tinker has served in education for about 23 years and his retirement plan, which may be quite substantial, could potentially be removed if he is found accountable and/or guilty for any misconduct or criminal behavior.
UPDATE June 23rd, 2020: We have been contacted by several readers to our story regarding the lack of updates to this page. The TEA complaint against Mr. Tinker is headed for a hearing. Criminal investigations are also underway and CPS is now involved. However, we will not publish any information we have received about on-going investigations until these matters have reached a conclusion. At that time, we will publish updates to this page to keep our readers up-to-date. Rest assured, we have a dedicated team following this portion of our story for any developments.
UPDATE May 18th, 2020: Alleged victims who reached out to our investigative reporter have come forward to share their experiences with Mr. Tinker. We have referred them to Texas Education Agency investigators and, due to privacy concerns of potential victims of sexual assault and to maintain the integrity of law enforcement and TEA investigations, we will not publish any information we have received from potential victims to this site.
If you or someone you know has a personal story to tell us about an experience they had been through with John Tinker, we encourage you to please send us a CONFIDENTIAL email.
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FIRST RELEASE:
On February 16, 2019, John Tinker began texting the co-worker, after receiving her phone number from a dept communication, and what follows over the next 10+ hours and nearly 1200 text messages is being published in part to this page and have been received by TEA.
All items of evidence have been received by the Texas Education Agency in the complaint from September 2019 and an investigation is on-going as of April 2020. TEA has indicated that they intend to pursue a hearing against John Tinker.
At this time, his teaching certificate has been “red flagged” on the State Board for Educator Certification online as “under review and investigation”. Click this link to see his certificate. https://teainvestigation.com/sbeccerts/
Within minutes of reaching out to the co-worker, John Tinker begins sexually propositioning the co-worker, despite him knowing that she is in a relationship with Gilbert Fuentez. These two coaches coached football together at Joe C Bean High School at Everman ISD for 3 years. John Tinker had been in Everman ISD for about 23 years. John Tinker’s wife was also an educator in Everman ISD as well at this time.
Despite him being married, John Tinker admitted to having sexual relationships with at least 3 other female staff members who were still employed at Joe C Bean as of February 2019.
He admitted to possible grooming of 4 female students while they were his students and having sexual relations with those 4 students after they graduated. Rumors had persisted for years that John Tinker sexually predated on female students and his admission to some degree of that rumor was deeply disturbing to the co-worker. He refused to outright admit to the co-worker about having sexual relations with any students while they were his current student.
She continued to text with him off and on for 10+ hours on February 16th, 2019, despite the disgusting things he was saying and admitting to, in an effort to have documentation to report to Everman ISD.
A Title VII DIA complaint was filed with Everman ISD on March 7th, 2019, after weeks of consulting with her attorney and drafting the complaint. The complaint can be found here. https://teainvestigation.com/titleviisexharass/
The complaint listed 23 items of concern that Everman ISD needed to investigate and address.
Items such as 1) implicating the Everman ISD School Board President as being complicit and aware of John Tinker’s sexual predation history and failing to stop John Tinker from these actions, 2) implicating the Athletic Director Dale Matlock as being complicit and aware of John Tinker’s sexual predation AND a culture of general sexual predation at Everman ISD (see more on this below), 3) sending an unsolicited, nearly nude photo to the co-worker of another female co-worker that he had in his possession and, unbeknownst to this female in this photo, offered her up to the co-worker in an unsolicited threesome, 4) discussing at least 2 relationships of administrators engaging in sexual relationships with teachers and 5) having a noticeable erection, in a class of all female students, when the co-worker visited his room to drop off curriculum materials and the students commented on his erection and he quickly left his classroom to go masturbate to relieve his erection. These are just SOME of the 23 documented items submitted to Everman ISD in this complaint that John Tinker admitted to the co-worker on February 16th, 2019.
In an earlier departmental staff meeting in the year, witnessed firsthand by the co-worker, many coaches at the table were having a conversation about Dale Matlock, the Athletic Coordinator, encouraging male coaches, many of whom were married, to engage in romantic relationships with female staff, even if they were married, to encourage grade manipulation should a prized athlete fail a class and was unable to play that sport.
This item of concern was reported to Everman ISD in this DIA complaint. Yet, nothing was done.
As a matter of fact, on 23 documented items submitted in the complaint, Everman ISD administrators dismissed all but ONE. The only item that was investigated properly and granted was the unsolicited photo of that other female staff member that John Tinker texted to the co-worker.
The improper investigation was submitted to TEA in September 2019. Some of the items documented to TEA include 1) no interviews were conducted with the all female class of students regarding his erection and 2) John Tinker said he lied about his admissions in those texts on nearly every single unethical admission to Everman administrators, and on all the other staff he implicated, and Everman ISD officials took his word at face value and did not follow up through proper channels to conduct a proper investigation with all of the Everman ISD officials, administrators or male staff he implicated in his admissions. No substantial investigation into whether or NOT John Tinker was lying about having lied to the co-worker was performed to determine if the admissions he put in those text messages were in fact true.
As the “poisoned source”, all admissions that John Tinker made about other Everman ISD staff and administrators were conveniently and immediately dismissed and buried from the Title VII DIA complaint.
No reports were made to law enforcement or Child Protective Services about potential female student victims of sexual predation.
No report was made to Texas Education Agency within 7 days for John Tinker’s misconduct, whether on the 1 item Everman ISD granted, or on any combination of the 23 items, as is required by the Texas Education Code.
Read a FEW excerpts of these texts here. https://teainvestigation.com/textstinker/
To maintain privacy of potential victims of sexual predation, only excerpts of these 1200+ text messages are being published on this page.
The co-worker received a letter dismissing ALL BUT ONE of the items in the DIA complaint and the investigation was summarily closed, internally and holistically, under the pervue of the Asst Superintendent Dr Felicia Donaldson and the Superintendent Dr Curtis Amos.
In this dismissal letter, Dr Felicia Donaldson goes on to 1) accuse the co-worker of creating a situation whereby she was allowed to be sexually harassed by John Tinker, 2) for engaging in explicit, unprofessional text messages with John Tinker that also qualified as creating a sexual harassment environment that allowed the co-worker to be sexual harassed by John Tinker and 3) admonished the co-worker for filing this DIA complaint by attacking the character and integrity of the co-worker.
It took a significant amount of bravery on behalf of the co-worker to report these documented admissions to Everman ISD and instead Everman ISD administrators dismissed and attacked the co-worker for doing so.
A hostile work environment ensued after the DIA complaint with the co-worker with some of the male staff that were implicated in John Tinker’s text messages. They were notified that John Tinker had revealed to the co-worker their sexually inappropriate comments about the co-worker behind her back and that she had reported them to Everman ISD.
It was filing this DIA complaint that made the co-worker feel as if she lost favor with Dr Curtis Amos and Dr Felicia Donaldson. She felt that she was on the receiving end of retribution 5 weeks later when Gilbert Fuentez, whom she was involved in a relationship with, would be busted for cocaine use, when Dr Curtis Amos unethically blamed her as a source of “cocaine use tip” for Gilbert Fuentez on 4-16-2019, placing her safety in danger with Gilbert Fuentez and creating a hostile work environment even more so than after the DIA complaint.
On March 8th, 2019 John Tinker was removed from the baseball field and sent to the Everman ISD administration building where he was notified there was a DIA complaint against him.
He was placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which was improperly handled, and he was shortly thereafter given a “Settlement Agreement” paying out the rest of his contract time, around $47,000, and he was “allowed to resign” and was passed along to another school district, free and clear.
Texas Education Agency is investigating Everman ISD’s history of offering settlement agreements to educators who have been found accountable for educator misconduct and then passing them out of the district without reporting to the proper law enforcement and/or state regulatory agencies.
The Superintendent is appointed to his position by the School Board, who are elected by viewers like you. Should Dr Curtis Amos still continue to maintain his position overseeing Everman ISD?
Contact your Everman School Board Representative by clicking here and make your voice heard.
Details of TEA’s deeper, on-going investigation into Everman ISD’s settlement agreements on other educators will NOT be published here, but this page will be updated as items are cleared and dispositioned out of the investigation, which could be many more months long.
#gilbert #fuentez #john #tinker #curtis #amos #felicia #donaldson #everman #sexual #harassment #complaint #dale #matlock #sexual #predation #texaseducationagency