The verdict followed days of testimony about a life-skills classroom at an elementary school.
LONGVIEW, TX — Two former Longview ISD administrators were found guilty by a jury after prosecutors said they allowed and took part in the mistreatment of students with disabilities in an elementary school life-skills classroom. The verdict was returned Thu., Feb. 26, in Gregg County’s 188th District Court.
The case centered on allegations that children, including nonverbal students, were abused at J.L. Everhart Elementary School from 2019 to 2021, often in ways the students could not report. Jurors heard testimony from parents and school employees and were shown classroom security footage. The convictions mark the first jury verdicts in a broader set of criminal cases involving multiple former employees and aides tied to the same classroom.
Prosecutors built their case around video clips and witness accounts that described yelling, intimidation and physical punishment inside the life-skills room. Cassandra Renee James, 51, of Hallsville, and Linda Kaye Lister, 63, of Longview, were accused of abusing students and of using their supervisory roles to permit harsh treatment to continue. Prosecutors told jurors they would see dozens of videos and hear children crying, arguing that the conduct happened in full view of cameras and still went unchecked. Defense lawyers argued the state had not proved bodily injury and said the case relied on assumptions about what school leaders knew, when they knew it, and what actions they took in response.
The trial began Tue., Feb. 24, at the Gregg County Courthouse with opening statements that described a classroom serving students with significant disabilities. Jurors heard early testimony from mothers who said they noticed bruises, marks, and behavior changes in their children, and that their concerns were brushed aside or explained away as playground injuries. One mother testified that she hid a camera in her child’s backpack because she believed something was wrong, then brought the recording to the district. Another mother told jurors she saw a teacher strike her son and said she was urged to use physical discipline at home. As testimony unfolded, jurors also heard about the district’s internal response after concerns escalated in 2021.
On Wed., Feb. 25, witnesses described how warnings first surfaced and how evidence moved through the school system. Cindy Verhalen, who worked in 2021 as Longview ISD’s director for special programs, testified that a mother called to say her child did not want to come to school and was crying. Verhalen said a school psychologist was assigned to observe the classroom, but the report came back “unremarkable.” She later testified that the same mother said she had an audio recording from a camera placed in her child’s backpack, and that the grainy sound of loud voices and crying raised concern. Verhalen said she was later shown security footage and concluded the abuse was “obvious,” and she reported it to child protection authorities.
Prosecutors then played classroom videos in court and questioned investigators about what the footage showed. In one clip described in testimony, prosecutors said James and Lister entered the classroom after another employee ripped off a student’s shoe and threw it to the floor. A detective testified that the student was curled up in a corner when the administrators approached. Lister was seen striking a wall above the student’s head with a paddle and yelling, according to courtroom testimony. The detective, Debra Stiles, told jurors the conduct did not look like discipline a parent would support, and she said parents reported some children feared Lister because of paddling. Other clips shown in court depicted students having chairs pulled out from under them, being dragged by an arm or leg, and being hit with objects including yardsticks, backpacks, cardboard tubes and water bottles, prosecutors said.
Jurors also heard about how quickly concerns were elevated in fall 2021 and the steps school leaders took after recordings surfaced. Dr. James Hockenberry, who was Longview ISD’s assistant superintendent at the time and is now superintendent of Lufkin ISD, testified that he became involved after receiving audio from the classroom. He said a video dated Oct. 7 prompted broader review of recordings and led to staff being removed from the classroom in October. Witnesses described uncertainty over whether the district contacted outside investigators immediately or first conducted its own review, and the sequence of reports became a contested issue during cross-examination. A handbook referenced during testimony said educators should not conduct investigations themselves and should contact law enforcement if a child is in immediate harm.
After the guilty verdicts on Thu., Feb. 26, the case moved into sentencing in front of Judge Scott Novy. Prosecutors argued the administrators held authority over a classroom serving vulnerable children and knowingly permitted physical punishment of students who could not clearly describe what was happening. Gregg County Assistant District Attorney Morgan Armstrong told jurors the case was about “giving a voice to the voiceless and protecting those that are defenseless,” according to courtroom reporting. Defense lawyers urged probation and community supervision, citing the women’s lack of prior felony records and arguing that the state had not shown the degree of harm needed for prison terms. Lawyers also highlighted cooperation with investigations and asked jurors to consider community service and supervision instead of confinement.
On Fri., Feb. 27, jurors recommended sentences that kept both women out of prison but included lengthy supervision and fines. Lister was sentenced to 10 years of confinement, probated for 10 years of community supervision, along with a $10,000 fine. James was sentenced to seven years in jail, probated for seven years of community supervision, and fined $10,000. Novy told Lister in court that her conduct appeared different from others, citing video in which she warned staff to watch out for a red-haired physical therapist who had raised concerns. “You should have told them to treat those kids with dignity,” Novy said, according to courtroom reporting. He ordered Lister to return to court at 5 p.m. Mon. and said jail time would be included as a condition of probation, though specific details were not immediately available after sentencing.
The two convictions fit into a larger set of cases tied to J.L. Everhart’s life-skills classroom. Three other defendants in the same investigation, Cynthia Talley, Paula Dixon Hawkins and Cecilia Gregg, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison, according to court reporting. Another former Everhart teacher, Priscilla Rosa Johnson, still awaits trial. The wider case has drawn strong reaction from parents who testified that their children changed at home, stopped smiling, or became fearful about school. In the courthouse, mothers who said they pushed for answers described the verdicts as long awaited accountability. The defense, meanwhile, maintained the case turned on what administrators could reasonably know from reports and observations and whether the state proved an injury beyond a dispute over discipline.
As of Tue., March 3, the guilty verdicts stand, and the court is still clarifying final probation conditions, including how much jail time will be required as part of Lister’s supervision. Remaining defendants connected to the Everhart classroom case are scheduled for future court settings, with prosecutors expected to continue pursuing charges tied to the same period.
Author note: Last updated March 3, 2026.