The superintendent of Itasca ISD was officially suspended by the school board in an emergency meeting this morning. Mike Stevens, 47, is accused of sending inappropriate messages and pictures to a person he thought was a 15-year old girl but was actually an undercover officer.
Harris County Precinct 1 arrested Stevens as well as six others during the operation last week. He is charged with online solicitation of a minor and is being held on $100,000 bail.
Itasca ISD released a statement following the vote to suspend Stevens:
The Board of Trustees met today to take immediate action to suspend Superintendent Michael Stevens from his role as Superintendent of Schools. The Board took this action in response to the arrest on Thursday, June 1st of Mr. Stevens. We are working diligently to resolve this situation in accordance with our legal counsel. The Board has appointed veteran Superintendent Keith Boles to serve as the Interim Superintendent starting tomorrow, June 6th. Mr. Boles previously served in the district in this capacity and is well known and respected by our community. Last and more importantly, the Board is confident that based on all facts known to date, there are no connections between the allegations made against Mr. Stevens and students at Itasca ISD. Our students are safe and will continue to thrive and succeed with the dedicated attention and service brought by our outstanding parents and staff.
Stevens began working for Itasca ISD in March 2022. He had been a superintendent, principal and teacher/coach at various other districts. He most recently worked at Channing ISD.
Stevens reportedly started messaging with the undercover officer in April and May. During that time Stevens allegedly sent explicit photos and asked inappropriate questions while also asking for images in return. He was arrested on school grounds and brought to Houston to face charges.
Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen says his office is investigating to see if there are other victims. Anyone with information is asked to call Rosen's office at 713-755-7571.