Another teacher on leave

A Bowie Junior High history teacher is on paid administrative leave following his arrest Oct. 21.

Steven Ray Hernandez is a first-year seventh-grade history teacher at Bowie and was hired in early August. According to the State Board for Educator Certification, he holds certification for social studies in grades 8 to 12 and is 36 years old.

Hernandez was first arrested June 25 on an indecent exposure charge, a class B misdemeanor, Odessa police spokeswoman Cpl. Sherrie Carruth said. The complainant was an adult female.

Hernandez was arrested on Oct. 21 by Ector County sheriff’s deputies on a state jail felony warrant. He was charged with witness tampering in relation to the June 25 indecent exposure charge. Ector County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Gary Duesler said Hernandez was released on Oct. 21 on a $5,000 bond.

ECISD Communications Director Mike Adkins said Hernandez was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday morning once the district became aware of the arrest.

Adkins said the district learned about the incident from law enforcement officials just Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, the Bowie police officer escorted Hernandez off the school campus.

He said teaching applicants must get fingerprinted, submit to a criminal background check with the Texas Department of Public Safety and also pass a drug test. He said he wasn’t sure when arrests get added to that database, but background investigations are completed before an employee begins work.

"I’m pretty confident that if a check showed that type of arrest, a person would likely not be hired," he said.

He’s the second Bowie history teacher to be placed on administrative leave this year after Stan Wilkins was put on leave and then put back to work at the district’s virtual high school. Losing two history teachers has left Bowie principal Denise Shetter scrambling.

"We are making sure curriculum is being taught," she said.

Currently, the school is using subs to fill the positions, but she said she has been making calls to find certified teachers to serve in long-term sub positions until both matters are resolved in the legal system. If she can’t find any, other teachers at Bowie will have to step in through sort of a patchwork process teaching a course here or there as schedules allow.

She said the curriculum has been and will continue to be standardized to ensure students are learning the history content for the TAKS test. Shetter said students aren’t told everything about the situations to keep them focused on learning.

"We don’t address specifics with the kids. We tell them they need to talk to their parents about it," Shetter said.