A Plano teacher who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for grooming a student is now being sued by the student’s mother.
The lawsuit named the teacher, Jacob Allred, the school, Great Lakes Academy and the principal, Matthew Jason Campbell. Great Lakes Academy is a private school that specializes in educating students with learning disabilities.
According to the lawsuit filed by Brittany Halley, her daughter was enrolled at the academy in Plano from August 2023 to December 2023 when her teacher started grooming her. She was 15 at the time.
The lawsuit continued to say that the 32-year-old teacher pulled the teen into the library and admitted to having romantic feelings for her. He then began sending her sexually explicit messages that escalated into physical contact. The teen reported it to her mother, who contacted Plano police.
The lawsuit also claims that Campbell was made aware of previous instances where Allred attempted to groom children and instead of reporting it to authorities under law, he issued a verbal warning and written reprimand.
“The school and the principal had a legal and moral duty to provide a safe learning environment for their students,” said attorney Ty Stimpson. “Instead, they allowed a predator to operate unchecked and failed to take appropriate action after becoming aware of disturbing misconduct. Their negligence was not just unacceptable — it was extreme and outrageous.”
Campbell was charged with two counts of sexual performance of a child and improper relationship between educator and student.