A former teacher and coach at Cypress Christian School in Texas has been indicted in Georgia over allegations that he sent sexually explicit electronic messages to an underage former student.
A Bryan County grand jury indicted Jared Randall Barber on August 18, 2026. He faces two felony charges and one misdemeanor charge related to alleged communications with a boy who previously attended Cypress Christian School and later moved to Georgia.
The allegations reportedly span nearly two years from July 2024 through April 2026 while Barber worked at the private Christian school.
This case should force every school to confront an uncomfortable truth: grooming often begins in plain sight. It can look like frequent texts, private jokes, social-media contact, special attention or an adult slowly erasing appropriate boundaries. Schools cannot wait until messages become explicitly sexual before intervening.
Key Takeaways
- Jared Barber began working at Cypress Christian School in 2023 as a secondary-school teacher and coach.
- A Georgia grand jury indicted him on August 18, 2026, on three charges involving alleged electronic communications with an underage former student.
- Barber faces felony grooming of a minor, felony criminal attempt to commit grooming of a minor and misdemeanor electronically furnishing obscene material to a minor.
- The indictment alleges that the communications occurred from July 2024 through April 2026.
- Cypress Christian School says it learned of the matter on April 29, reported it to Texas authorities and terminated Barber that day.
- School officials also barred Barber from school property and from contacting students or staff.
- Barber reportedly does not hold a Texas teaching certificate and was not listed on the state’s Do Not Hire Registry when the school employed him.
- The indictment contains allegations, not findings of guilt. Barber is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Who Is Jared Barber?
Jared Barber worked as a secondary-school teacher and coach at Cypress Christian School, a private K–12 Christian school in the Houston area.
According to Chron, Barber joined Cypress Christian in 2023. Before that, he held teaching or coaching positions at several private schools in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Reported positions include:
- Teacher and football coach at Fort Worth Christian School in Texas
- Head football coach at Lee Academy in Mississippi
- Head football coach at Riverdale Academy in Louisiana
Other reporting identifies earlier positions at Dallas Christian School and Grapevine Faith Christian School.
A history of moving among schools does not establish misconduct. It does, however, make complete employment-history checks essential. Each school should verify why an applicant left previous positions, whether anyone raised boundary concerns and whether the applicant maintained appropriate communications with students.
Georgia Grand Jury Indicts Barber on Three Charges
According to a redacted copy of the Bryan County indictment, Barber faces:
- One felony count of grooming a minor
- One felony count of criminal attempt to commit grooming a minor
- One misdemeanor count of electronically furnishing obscene material to a minor
The alleged victim is a former Cypress Christian School student who now lives in Georgia.
The indictment alleges that Barber used an electronic device to engage in a pattern of sexual communication intended to persuade or induce the child to participate in a sexual offense. It also accuses him of sending sexually explicit verbal descriptions to the minor.
ABC13 reports that the alleged conduct began in July 2024 and continued through April 29, 2026. Chron describes the alleged communications as occurring between August 2024 and April 2026.
The precise starting date may require clarification as the criminal case proceeds. Both accounts agree that the alleged communications continued for an extended period while Barber worked at Cypress Christian.
School Says It Fired Barber Immediately
Cypress Christian School told ABC13 that administrators first received information concerning Barber on April 29, 2026.
The school said it reported the matter to Texas authorities, terminated Barber’s contract that day and removed him from all contact with students. School President Jeff Potts told families that Barber had communicated through TikTok with an underage former student living outside the area.
According to an earlier Texas Scorecard report, administrators directed Barber to return from a school event, placed him on administrative leave and fired him when he returned. They also barred him from school property, contact with students and staff, and participation in school activities.
Acting quickly after receiving a report is important. But it is only part of the institutional inquiry.
Families deserve to know whether the communications began while the student still attended Cypress Christian, whether other employees observed boundary-crossing behavior and whether Barber routinely exchanged private messages with students outside approved school platforms.
Alleged Communications Reportedly Continued for Nearly Two Years
The duration of the alleged conduct demands scrutiny.
If the indictment’s timeline proves accurate, Barber allegedly communicated sexually with the minor from July 2024 until April 2026. That raises questions no school should avoid:
- Did Barber communicate privately with students through TikTok, text messages or other personal accounts?
- School policy prohibit that contact?
- Administrators monitor or enforce the policy?
- Barber accompany students on overnight athletic trips?
- Did employees or parents previously report concerns about his boundaries?
- Were students taught how to recognize and report grooming behavior?
- The school investigate Barber’s communications with other students after learning of the allegations?
Texas Scorecard reported that Cypress Christian’s employee handbook prohibits social-media contact between employees and students. The school also reportedly requires annual MinistrySafe training on recognizing and reporting grooming.
Policies and training mean little if an institution does not enforce them. A rule sitting in a handbook cannot protect a child. Adults must recognize violations, document concerns and act before boundary-crossing behavior escalates.
Private-School Oversight Deserves Closer Examination
Texas Scorecard reports that Barber does not hold a Texas teaching certificate and was not on the state’s Do Not Hire Registry.
Private-school employees may occupy the same positions of trust as public-school educators without necessarily appearing in the same certification and disciplinary systems. That can create dangerous gaps when employees move among private schools or cross state lines.
Cypress Christian said it screens employees against the Texas Do Not Hire Registry and conducts background checks. Those measures are important, but a clean background check cannot reveal conduct that was never reported, investigated or entered into a searchable system.
Schools must go further. They should contact former employers directly, verify reasons for departure and ask specific questions about student-boundary violations. They must also prohibit undisclosed private communication and require employees to use monitored school platforms when contacting students.
School Announces Review of Its Safety Practices
After Barber’s indictment, Cypress Christian informed families that it continued cooperating with authorities in Texas and Georgia.
The school’s board also announced plans to engage two outside organizations to review school policies, reporting procedures, staff training, student protections and accountability measures.
That review must be genuinely independent and broad enough to determine how the alleged communications could have continued for so long. It should examine Barber’s access to students, electronic communications, travel assignments, supervision and complete employment history.
The school should also preserve emails, personnel files, complaints, text messages, social-media records and documents from any earlier internal reviews. Families cannot obtain meaningful answers if relevant evidence disappears.
Other Students Should Have Safe Ways to Report Concerns
The allegations currently identified in the indictment involve one former student. Claims that Barber may have targeted other students have not been established through publicly available criminal charges.
That does not mean schools should remain silent.
Every institution where Barber worked should notify families of the investigation and provide reporting options independent of school leadership. Former students may feel safer contacting law enforcement, a children’s advocacy center or an outside investigator.
Schools should never pressure students to disclose publicly or suggest that additional abuse must have occurred. They should simply make it clear that anyone with information will be heard, supported and protected from retaliation.
Speaking With a Sexual Abuse Lawyer About Your Rights
Students who received sexual, secretive or boundary-crossing communications from a teacher or coach may have legal rights even if no physical contact occurred.
A Texas or Georgia civil sexual abuse attorney can help families preserve electronic messages, examine an employee’s history and investigate whether a school ignored warning signs or failed to enforce its own policies. Civil cases can also uncover information about institutional decisions that may never become public through a criminal prosecution.
Andreozzi + Foote represents survivors of sexual abuse and families seeking accountability from the institutions entrusted with children’s safety. To discuss your rights confidentially, call (866) 858-3790 or email info@vca.law.
The charges and conduct described in this article remain allegations. Jared Barber is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Photos courtesy Texas Scorecard
