ASHLEY TERRY
A former Azle High School student has filed a federal Title IX lawsuit citing deliberate indifference in an alleged sexual assault and harassment that occurred from 2021 through 2023.
The student, who was identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, named Azle Independent School District, Superintendent Todd Smith, former Athletic Director Rebecca Spurlock and former coach Carlos Alberto Font Santiago in the suit, which was filed Aug. 11, in the Fort Worth division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
DEFENDANTS
While Doe brought the civil action against Smith in his official capacity only, Doe also names Azle ISD in the lawsuit due to its alleged violation of Title IX “for deliberate indifference to discrimination against or harassment of a student on the basis of sex.” The suit also alleges the district received a report of Font Santiago’s misconduct and knew that Doe had filed a police report April 17 but still allowed Font Santiago to coach the AHS girls’ softball game that took place that evening. The lawsuit states “the school district’s cavalier attitude toward alleged sexual assault of a child is unconscionable.”
The lawsuit also states that AHS’ Athletic Director Rebecca Spurlock was an “appropriate person” with the authority to “address the discrimination and to take corrective measures.” Doe claims Spurlock had actual notice that Font Santiago posed a substantial risk of abusing and harassing Doe and other female friends on the basis of sex but failed to act. The lawsuit alleges that instead, Spurlock “swept the matter under the rug” and allowed Font Santiago to continue coaching Doe’s JV basketball team and other girls’ athletics at AHS.
The suit alleges that both AISD and Spurlock acted with deliberate indifference to Font Santiago’s known acts of inappropriate behavior by taking no action and that Spurlock allowed Font Santiago to continue coaching and did not even conduct an investigation of the concerns about him. The lawsuit states that this “failure to act was clearly unreasonable in light of the known circumstances” and the “school’s failures to reasonably act were tantamount to intentionally subjecting Doe to sexual abuse and harassment.”
RELIEF SOUGHT
The lawsuit states that as the proximate result of Font Santiago’s and Spurlock’s alleged violation of Doe’s constitutional rights, Doe suffered injuries and is entitled to compensatory damages resulting from Defendant’s violation of her federal rights, including damages for mental anguish, emotional pain and distress, embarrassment, anxiety, shame and reputational harm.
Doe seeks an award of exemplary damages against both Font Santiago and Spurlock in their individual capacities as their conduct carried out under color of state law was “malicious or exhibited a reckless or callous indifference to Doe’s clearly established constitutional rights.”
She also seeks both declaratory and injunctive relief that the acts and omissions of Font Santiago and Spurlock violated her rights under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
BACKGROUND
The suit arises from the arrest April 17, 2025, of former Azle High School softball coach Carlos Font Santiago, who was initially charged with improper relationship between educator/student. Font Santiago was arrested a second time Dec. 12, 2025, after he was indicted by a grand jury for a charge of sexual assault of a child related to the initial charge. Tarrant County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him for a warrant obtained by the Azle Police Department for that charge.
The outcry from the alleged victim in the case was made earlier in the day April 17. According to Smith, Azle ISD officials were made aware of the situation only hours before Font Santiago’s arrest and shortly before a softball game that evening.
Azle Chief of Police Ben Hall said in a phone interview with The Azle News Wednesday, Dec. 31 there was great urgency to obtain the appropriate arrest warrant as well as a warrant to seize Font Santiago’s electronics in order to preserve crucial evidence in the case — all of which took several hours. Hall said the Azle PD asked the school district for a little bit of time to accomplish all that needed to be done before alerting Font Santiago to the situation in order to ensure the preservation of evidence. He emphasized the fact that the alleged offense had taken place a year or more earlier and was not ongoing, however, that did not decrease the urgency in making the arrest, adding that even if the department had been able to secure those warrants during the softball game, police would not have executed them in a public setting where children were present in the interest of safety. The arrest was made at Font Santiago’s home following the game. Hall also said Azle ISD cooperated fully in the investigation, responding quickly and thoroughly to every request.
School officials began the process of terminating Font Santiago’s employment immediately upon his arrest, according to Smith.
THE SUIT
According to the lawsuit, Doe alleges that during the time she was a student at Azle ISD, Coach Font Santiago “began preparing to sexually abuse her by grooming her.”
In the lawsuit, it was reported that the nature of their relationship took a turn from coach/student to a “special connection” leading to sexual assault and abuse once Doe added Font Santiago as a friend on the app Snapchat. Doe alleged that she added Font Santiago on Snapchat as a “joke, thinking he would never accept the request because to do so would violate the high school’s policy prohibiting educators from privately communicating with students through social media or other electronic devices …”
As the relationship on Snapchat progressed, Doe alleged that approximately 45% of the daily Snaps were of a sexual nature. Font Santiago also allegedly messaged Doe through Instagram and text messages, which she deleted to avoid discovery.
Although Doe never had Font Santiago as a teacher, she alleges in the suit he often provided her with written hall passes “almost every school day” to excuse her tardiness after speaking with him in the hallway between classes.
Beginning in October or November 2021 and continuing through the end of the school year in May 2022, Doe alleges she began regularly meeting with Font Santiago “at least three times per week in his empty classroom during seventh period to engage in sexual activity.” The lawsuit also states that all of Font Santiago’s “illegal sexual activity” with Doe occurred in his AHS classroom while he was on duty as an AISD teacher and coach. Font Santiago and Doe allegedly never engaged in sexual activity off the premises of AHS, the suit says.
When Doe began her junior year at AHS in the fall of 2022, the lawsuit reports that Font Santigo was no longer an assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team, but only for the girls’ volleyball team. He was later promoted to head softball coach in the 2024-25 school year — the year after Doe graduated.
In early 2022, the suit alleges Font Santiago had a “falling out” with other concerned staff members about keeping a safe distance from female students due to his young age, which was 27 at the time. Coaches also allegedly cautioned students from visiting other teachers’ classrooms during the school day.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged relationship between Doe and Fant Santiago continued into her junior year in 2022-23. However, their physical relationship allegedly ceased in August 2022 when Font’s spouse became employed as an athletic trainer at AHS.
During Doe’s junior year, there was allegedly one last incident of physical contact that occurred the week before Thanksgiving break in 2022 when Doe came to Font Santiago’s athletics office at his request. Font Santiago allegedly told Doe that he “wanted to see her and that no other coaches would be in the office at that time.” The lawsuit alleges that Doe obtained permission from one of her classes to use the restroom and instead went to the athletics office, where “Font Santiago kissed her.”
Although their physical sexual relationship had ended, Font Santiago and Doe continued to engage in texting and messaging of a sexual nature into part of the spring semester of 2023.
Between March and May 2023, Doe allegedly ended her relationship with Font Santiago when she developed a romantic relationship with a young man.
Doe graduated from AHS in May 2024. At the time of the alleged relationship, she was 16 and later turned 17.
On April 17, 2025, another female student at AHS allegedly reported to the principal that Font Santiago had sent inappropriate messages to her via SportsYou, an application designed to help coaches and groups organize and communicate with their teams.
Immediately upon learning of the current student’s report regarding Font Santiago to AHS administrators April 17, Doe revealed his alleged sexual abuse of her to both her boyfriend and parents for the first time as “she did not want them to learn of the matter from someone else.” On that same day, Doe and her parents went to the Azle Police Department and filed a police report against Font Santiago.
At the time of the initial police filing, Font Santiago was charged with a felony for Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student. He has since been charged with a felony for Sexual Assault of a Child in relation to the same victim. His criminal case is pending in a Tarrant County Criminal District Court, and he is currently out of jail on bond.
NEXT STEPS
The Azle News will address AISD’s motion to revoke the lawsuit in an upcoming story.
