SAN ANTONIO – Schertz police are trying to determine how big of a case they may be dealing with after the arrest of an elementary school teacher on a charge of indecency with a child.
Gabriel Cantu, 42, was arrested and booked into the Guadalupe County jail Thursday morning.
A news release from the police department said a student had made an outcry against the Schertz Elementary School fourth-grade teacher on March 11.
Police declined to offer details on the allegations, but court records show the incident is believed to have happened in January 2023.
Cantu was placed on leave from his job and locked out of all electronics after the allegations came to light, according to a news release from the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District.
The news release said Cantu will not be allowed back in any capacity.
“I didn’t know nothing about this,” said Virginia McQueen, a parent who arrived to pick up her daughter for lunch.
A school district spokesperson told KSAT 12 News that only certain parents, those most closely affected by the incident, had been notified.
McQueen said her daughter attends kindergarten at the school, while Cantu reportedly taught fourth grade.
Still, she was disturbed by the news.
“I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’m scared about my daughter,” McQueen said.
Police are encouraging parents to talk with their children.
They’re also urging anyone with information on this particular case, or any other potential victims, to come forward.
McQueen said she will be keeping her ears and eyes open when it comes to her daughter.
“I always talk to her,” she said. “And the good thing is she always comes back home and tells me what happened every day.”
Cantu had been working at Schertz Elementary since the 2022-2023 school year, according to the school district.
Online records from the State Board of Educators Certification show that Cantu has had a teaching certificate since 2020.
KSAT 12 News requested information from the Texas Education Agency about previous teaching jobs that Cantu may have held.
A TEA spokesperson wrote back, saying that he would investigate the matter.