Abilene ISD choir director cleared of allegations of filming students, placed on leave for other ‘unprofessional conduct’

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – An Abilene ISD choir director has been cleared of allegations of filming students while they were changing, but he is currently on leave for other “unprofessional conduct”.

Abilene ISD state an investigation into these allegations against Cooper High School choir director Joshua Westman began when parents came forward in January with allegations that he may have been using a laptop to record students while they were trying on dresses and changing.

The Abilene Police Department, Child Protective Services, and the State Board for Educator Certification were all involved in the investigation, which Abilene ISD states yielded no evidence supporting the allegations against Westman.

“A search of the contents of the laptop found no evidence of any video recordings of students while changing. Furthermore, the investigation found no other video recording devices in the changing area. In addition, AISD personnel searched Mr. Westman’s district-managed email and Remind accounts and found no evidence of improper electronic communications,” Abilene ISD explains.

However, Abilene ISD also stated that during the investigation, Westman was accused of additional “unprofessional conduct” and has been placed on leave until that investigation is concluded as well. The nature of these additional allegations was not disclosed.

No further information is available at this time.