Another San Antonio teacher has been ousted, by force or resignation, after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student surfaced. A San Antonio Independent School District educator and coach is no longer with the district. On Tuesday, March 18, an SAISD spokesperson confirmed Luther Burbank High School teacher Matthew Almaraz was no longer with the district, though it’s unclear if he resigned or was fired.
“The district received a report that this teacher had a relationship with a former student,” a San Antonio ISD spokesperson told MySA. “The teacher is no longer with the district. SAISD follows all guidelines for reporting to TEA.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, there is no record of Almaraz being under investigation by the State Board of Educator Certification or the Texas Education Agency on an online database of active Texas teacher certifications. Typically, when such an accusation is reported to the TEA, a state-level investigation is conducted, and the educator’s certification record is tagged with a redline noting they’re under review by the TEA Educator Investigation Division.
Though officials confirmed Almaraz, 40, is no longer with the district, a page outlining his educational career history and contact information remains on the Luther Burbank High School website. According to this site, Almaraz began his career at Burbank back in 2012 before moving to Harlandale ISD. Sometime between 2017, when his LinkedIn shows he started at Harlandale, he moved back to Burbank – the campus where the allegations against him surfaced.
“I became a teacher to give back, just as my teachers did for me. Watching students build confidence and achieve their goals is what motivates me. I am deeply invested in your child’s education and development, and I want them to feel that having me as a support is like having an extra, reliable part of themselves—always here to help them thrive,” Almaraz wrote in his bio announcing his return to Burbank High School.
This is the latest in what has been a series of educators booted from San Antonio school districts over inappropriate relations with students. On January 31, Marcos Chapa, an instructional aid at Stevenson Middle School in Northside ISD, was placed on administrative leave after an investigation revealed he allegedly gave out his phone number to a female student and made “inappropriate comments” about another female student, according to district officials. He resigned the same day.
On March 4, a Harlandale ISD official announced a McCollum High School teacher was under investigation and on administrative leave, seemingly due to inappropriate relations with a student.
A little over a month ago on February 12, Medina Valley ISD officials confirmed a teacher quit before they could be fired after allegations surfaced accusing the teacher of “inappropriate communications” with a student.