A Celina High School teacher/wrestling coach has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate conduct during his prior employment at Melissa ISD, district officials said.
Principal John Burdette informed parents in a November 2 letter that the district learned on October 31 of a social media post accusing Neil Phillips of misconduct while at Melissa High School. Celina ISD immediately launched an investigation and removed Phillips from duties, the letter stated.
Phillips taught world geography and served as head wrestling coach after being hired for the 2025-2026 school year. His application denied any previous investigations, paid leave, or resignations in lieu of termination, and his Texas Education Agency certificate showed no prior issues, according to Burdette.
“The information recently provided does not appear to be consistent with information received at the time of [the teacher’s] application,” the letter reads. “The District is investigating the discrepancy.”
Melissa ISD Superintendent Keith Murphy said Phillips worked at Melissa High School from August 2023 to March 2025. Students raised concerns on March 5, prompting his immediate removal from the classroom and placement on leave. Phillips resigned four days later, before the probe concluded on March 25.
On March 27, Melissa administrators gave Celina ISD “a truthful and accurate reference,” Murphy stated. He noted the district followed all reporting laws and that some audio circulating online was never provided to Melissa ISD.
The audio Murphy referenced may be a recording of Phillips purportedly demonstrating AI tools to his freshman students in a way that was “sexually inappropriate, graphic, and completely unacceptable for a classroom,” according to a post on X by Transparency ISD. The teacher allegedly demonstrated AI prompts in “sexy mode.”
A substitute is handling Phillips’ classes, and an assistant coach has assumed wrestling duties during the investigation.
The case marks the fifth Celina ISD employee placed on leave in the past month, with three involving allegations of misconduct.