Dallas ISD has agreed to a $1 million settlement and three years of reporting reforms to resolve federal allegations that it failed to report evidence of educator misconduct while certifying compliance with state law to receive federal special education funding.
The agreement includes a $145,000 payment to the United States and at least $855,000 in additional student-safety spending, U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould announced on Tuesday.
Dallas ISD specifically denies the allegations. The settlement does not constitute an admission of liability, and federal officials have made no determination of civil liability.
The newly disclosed financial terms and reporting requirements follow the pending settlement announcement that The Dallas Express previously reported.
Federal Allegations Center on Former Teacher
The federal government alleges that Dallas ISD submitted inaccurate or misleading grant certifications between July 2022 and August 2024 concerning its compliance with educator-misconduct reporting requirements, the agreement states.
The allegations concern former Peeler Elementary special education teacher Michael Roell, also known as Johnathan Michael. Dallas ISD opened four investigations during or after his employment involving allegations of sexual misconduct with minors, according to the agreement.
District investigators reported allegations to Dallas ISD police and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in September and November 2023, the agreement documents. Prosecutors contend the district nevertheless failed to make required reports to the State Board for Educator Certification.
Dallas ISD placed Roell on leave in November 2023. He submitted a resignation letter on April 1, 2024, effective at the end of that school year, and the district placed him on its internal list barring re-employment.
Prosecutors contend that his resignation triggered a state reporting deadline while the investigation remained open. Dallas ISD relied on its later Title IX finding that the allegations lacked substantiation when it made no report to the certification board, according to the agreement.
The agreement also records contrary findings: Child protective services ruled out the November 2023 allegation, citing insufficient evidence, and the district found no Title IX or district-policy violation in May 2024.
Agreement Requires Review of Earlier Allegations
Dallas ISD must review educator sexual misconduct allegations from 2022 onward within one year and report its findings to the Texas Education Agency. The district must spend at least $855,000 above its existing student-safety spending over three years, including the cost of that audit.
Other requirements include annual staff training, reporting checklists, campus signage and civil-liability disclosure forms for people beginning work involving student contact. The district must also pursue agreements with outside law enforcement and report mandatory-reporting events under Texas Education Code Chapter 22A to Dallas police.
“Let this be a warning to every district in the Northern District of Texas,” Raybould said in the Justice Department release.
Roell later faced state child-abuse and child-grooming charges involving his Forney ISD employment and a September 2026 federal indictment alleging wire fraud in obtaining that teaching position, according to the agreement. Those charges remain allegations; he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
