Former HISD teacher accused of sex crimes with 14-year-old student bonds out of jail

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A former Houston ISD middle school teacher accused of having explicit video calls with a 14-year-old student was back in court on Monday.

Dale Vanwright, 63, was a design teacher at Tanglewood Middle School when the alleged crimes occurred. He bonded out of jail over the weekend. Although his bond was scheduled for review by a judge, the case has been postponed to a later date.

Details about how the allegations surfaced remain unclear, but they are deeply troubling. Vanwright faces three charges: improper relationship with a student, sexual performance by a child, and indecency with a child.

According to court documents, the victim, a 14-year-old girl, was dating one of Vanwright’s relatives, who was also a student at Tanglewood Middle School.

**ORIGINAL STORY:** [Uncertified HISD teacher arrested for explicit video calls with 14-year-old student, police say]

Court documents reveal that Vanwright lost his job for kissing another female student, not for the incident involving explicit video calls. Police reported that the victim began engaging in video calls with Vanwright after school, during which he allegedly asked her to expose herself. Prosecutors stated Vanwright told the victim that if his relative couldn’t please her, he could.

In May, the situation reportedly escalated when Vanwright allegedly began fondling the victim in his truck in the parking lot of a Home Depot.

Vanwright lost his job and is no longer employed by HISD. Court records indicate he was suspended in March after being accused of kissing and hugging another 14-year-old student.

HISD provided with a statement regarding Vanwright’s employment:

“Vanwright is no longer employed with HISD effective June 7, 2024. While we cannot comment on the charges filed or the ongoing investigation into this incident, we can affirm that the employee has not had contact with students in any HISD facility since that date. We have sent an update to the school community, but we are prevented from commenting on the specific details of personnel matters.”