Bastrop teacher resigns after arrest

BASTROP — A teacher at Bastrop Independent School District has resigned after he was arrested in December.

According to a report by KXAN, James Austin Byrd, 42, who taught at Cedar Creek High School, was arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor.

A social media post by the North Richland Hills Police Department said the suspect was arrested after he contacted who he thought was a 15-year-old girl via Whisper, a chat platform. The investigation led to the suspect agreeing to meet with the girl in North Richland Hills, which is about three and a half hours from Bastrop.

The suspect was a high school history teacher, and once the district found out about his arrest, they accepted his resignation Jan. 4. “Although the criminal investigation does not involve BISD or any of our students and rests with officials in Tarrant County, Bastrop ISD will cooperate fully with law enforcement as needed,” a letter to parents from the district said. The letter also explained that following the arrest and resignation of the former teacher, a substitute would take over the position for the remainder of the semester.

“Please be assured that high-quality teaching and learning in your child’s history class will continue uninterrupted for the rest of this semester. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out,” the letter said.

The investigation is ongoing.