HOUSTON – An Aldine Independent School District agriculture science teacher worked in a classroom for more than two years despite active warrants for his arrest on charges of sexually assaulting a teen boy.
Derrick Banks, 39, taught agriculture science at Eisenhower High School until his arrest in late October on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, according to school officials and court records.
Banks is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy he met online in March 2021. The assault allegedly occurred at Banks’ home after the victim snuck out in the middle of the night to meet him, according to records.
Banks allegedly took the boy into his home while keeping him blindfolded, according to records.
Houston police detectives interviewed Banks over a year later in June of 2022, according to records, while he was employed at Prairie View A&M University.
Although he refused to provide a statement at the time without an attorney, authorities obtained his DNA through a warrant.
Then in August 2023, Aldine ISD hired him as a full-time teacher.
Two months later, on Oct. 17, 2023, warrants for aggravated sexual assault of a child were issued for Banks, but he continued working in the classroom until his arrest.
“It’s absolutely crazy and shocking, frankly, that someone was able to basically hide in plain sight while doing a job with children,” said Nathan Beedle, attorney at Thiessen Law Firm.
Beedle previously prosecuted child sex crimes and served as deputy chief at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
“It’s on the police to actually go arrest the person and bring them to justice,” Beedle said.
Houston Police Department has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Aldine ISD told KPRC 2 News that Banks passed all hiring protocols, including a criminal background check, at the time of his hiring.
However, advocacy group Children at Risk said this case highlights the need for coordinated efforts to identify individuals like Banks.
“It definitely was poor timing, but we want to see them run those background checks again,” said Caroline Roberts, Children at Risk’s general counsel and senior director of policy. “You can never have a perfect system, but at the same time, it’s up to us to ensure children’s safety.”
Texas Education Agency records show Banks first worked for Aldine ISD until at least 2011 as an educational aide.
In 2016, the Texas State Board for Educator Certification revoked his credentials, according to records, as a result of disciplinary action.
Details of the discipline or incident in that case were unavailable at the time of this writing.
Because Aldine ISD is a district of innovation, it was able to hire him again in 2023 as a non-certified teacher.
“He qualified for an Aldine ISD local certificate to teach Agriculture Science based on his field experience,” an Aldine ISD spokesperson said.
Following his arrest, which the school district said it learned about through the Texas Department of Public Safety, Banks is now on a statewide do-not-hire list as education officials investigate the matter, according to a TEA spokesperson.
Aldine ISD confirmed Banks is on administrative leave. It’s unclear if he’s being paid or not, and the district has not yet confirmed whether it conducts regular background checks on employees after hiring.
“Aldine ISD is dedicated to cooperating with law enforcement and protecting the safety of all its students,” a spokesperson told KPRC 2 News.
Court records show he is out of jail on a $100,000 bond and due back in court on Friday
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