Teacher who worked in Mesquite ISD given 30-year prison term
A former teacher employed by the Mesquite Independent School District was sentenced to 30 years in a Texas prison after pleading guilty to a charge related to child sexual-abuse material, authorities said.
Chad Michael Beery, 42, entered a guilty plea Aug. 6 in Rockwall County’s 382nd District Court to a first-degree felony involving images that depicted children in sexual conduct. Judge Brett Hall imposed the 30-year sentence following the plea, according to court information.
Beery was arrested in November 2025 on multiple counts, including an initial allegation involving between 10 and 50 images classified as child pornography and an additional count alleging possession of material depicting sexual assault. Prosecutors pursued the more serious first-degree charge, to which Beery ultimately pleaded guilty.
Local school role and administrative actions
At the time of his arrest, Beery served as an Academy Option teacher at Mesquite Academy, a campus that provides nontraditional programs for students in grades 8 through 12. Mesquite ISD officials told reporters last year that the district had no knowledge of any allegations prior to hiring Beery and that he would not be returning to the district.
Following the arrest and prosecution, the State Board for Educator Certification took administrative action against Beery’s credentials. In February, the board indefinitely suspended his teaching certificate and placed him on a list indicating he is "not eligible for hire." That action tracks with a state law enacted last year that requires temporary suspension of educator credentials when arrests occur for certain felonies and places those individuals on the Do Not Hire Registry pending case resolution.
- Defendant: Chad Michael Beery, 42
- Employment: Academy Option teacher, Mesquite Academy (Mesquite ISD)
- Sentence: 30 years in Texas state prison
- Key administrative action: SBEC indefinite suspension and "not eligible for hire" status
Charges and case details
Beery had been employed with Mesquite ISD since 2018, the same year he received certification to teach math and special education. The criminal charging information filed after his November 2025 arrest included:
| Allegation | Degree |
|---|---|
| Possessing child pornography (10–50 images) | First-degree felony (filed) |
| Possessing visual material depicting sexual assault | Third-degree felony (filed) |
Prosecutors proceeded on the more serious charge involving children depicted in sexual conduct, and the guilty plea resolved that count. The sentencing order and SBEC action together remove Beery from classrooms and bar him from being rehired by public schools while the suspension remains in effect.
Broader context for local families and schools
This conviction is one of a number of cases across Texas in recent years involving educators accused of sex crimes or possession and distribution of child sexual-abuse material. The state’s Do Not Hire Registry and the 2025 law that prompted automatic suspensions are intended to keep accused educators out of classrooms while investigations and prosecutions proceed.
District officials previously emphasized that they were unaware of allegations at the time of hiring, a point that underscores ongoing questions among parents and school leaders about vetting, background checks and the mechanisms schools use to detect concerning behavior after employees begin work. The case also raises concerns about how districts communicate with families and coordinate with state oversight bodies.
For now, the court’s sentence and the SBEC action have produced a definitive legal and administrative outcome in the Beery matter. The sentence removes the individual from the community for decades and serves as a reminder of the systems in place to respond to allegations involving school employees.
"not eligible for hire"
Mesquite ISD has previously stated the employee would not return to the district. District officials did not provide additional comment in the materials reviewed for this report.
