The sex trafficking allegations against Southlake resident Jennifer Powers are sickening enough. Then North Texans learned that the mom accused of managing the logistics of a New York financier’s “sex dungeon” was also a substitute teacher at Southlake’s Carroll ISD.
The school district is well known for its academic excellence and its vaunted athletics. But the district has also taken on a more insular approach to public concerns as it has become more openly partisan.
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The district’s aversion to confronting difficult matters was evident in the statement it issued in response to Powers’ indictment on federal sex-trafficking charges. Carroll ISD families expecting answers got nothing of the sort.
For starters, the statement doesn’t name Powers or even confirm what dates she worked in the district or at what schools — information that many parents want to know. Court records indicate that Powers moved from New York to Texas in 2020.
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But, fear not, because according to school board President Cam Bryan, who signed the statement, “transparency is essential to maintaining trust.”
Bryan emphasized that the district follows state rules that mandate national criminal background checks for employees. And, in addition to those searches, the district’s human resources team and campus principals check references, review professional histories and conduct in-person interviews, according to the statement.
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“In response to recent concerns, we are also reviewing our screening and re-screening practices to determine whether further improvements can be made,” Bryan wrote.
Determine whether further improvements can be made? Carroll ISD hired a woman who had been sued in federal court over sex trafficking allegations as far back as 2017. While she was ultimately not held liable in that civil suit, court documents go into great detail about her alleged role arranging sexual encounters between her boss and multiple women. That deserves scrutiny from any school looking to hire her.
Either the district knew about the troubling allegations in the lawsuit and decided to hire Powers anyway, or its “robust internal checks” didn’t turn up this public court record, available in a widely used database of federal court cases. Carroll ISD has an obligation to its families to explain what happened.
Whether it can improve its hiring process is not a matter for debate. It’s a certainty. Nowhere is doing one’s due diligence in hiring more sensitive than it is at schools, the places we entrust with our children.
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Federal prosecutors say that Powers, as the personal assistant of financier Howard Rubin, found women for her boss to abuse in violent sex sessions at his Manhattan penthouse. Rubin paid her “in the millions” and subsidized her wealthy lifestyle, according to court records.
Powers has pleaded not guilty. A court will ultimately decide.
We have previously raised concerns about the vetting of school hires. This failure in Carroll ISD only deepens our alarm.
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