LIVE OAK, Texas – A Judson Independent School District board member is pushing back on an investigation that cleared Board President Monica Ryan of allegations that she misused her authority to get her children into special classes, according to a report obtained by KSAT Investigates.
The six-page report, dated April 2026, said the investigation was the result of allegations made during public comment at a Judson ISD board meeting earlier in the year.
In separate statements to KSAT Investigates on Tuesday, Judson ISD board member Jose Macias, who called for the investigation in January 2026, said the investigation “was intentionally tainted through veiled threats and intimidation by Ms. Ryan.”
Ryan called the investigation “an egregious weaponization of our school district’s procedures for political purposes,” and said, “board members lied about being in receipt of complaints.”
Investigation finds no evidence Ryan pressured staff
The allegations Ryan received special treatment for her children were brought up by a citizen during public comment at a board meeting, according to the investigation report.
The report said investigators spoke with Ryan, Macias and several others whose names were redacted.
Ryan was very involved in scheduling her children’s classes, including going through the schedule line by line, records show.
The report said several staff members told investigators they would have made the same efforts to grant any other parent’s requests for classes as they would for Ryan.
“Campus staff also reported that while Mr. Ryan made multiple requests for her child, some of those requests were granted, but some of her requests were denied,” the report states.
While some staff members “may have felt pressure to grant courses to Ms. Ryan,” the report said none of the people interviewed for the investigation reported that Ryan used her status as a board member to influence her child’s school schedule.
The report states decisions to grant any “unusual request” were made by central office staff members, not at the campus level.
“Because of the possible perception that certain requests should be granted due to a parent’s status as a Board member, it is recommended that Board members be conscious of that perception and exercise care in requesting courses that are not generally offered to all students,” the report stated.
Ryan, Macias at odds over investigation’s findings
Macias and Ryan have publicly sparred for months over several issues, including the termination of former Judson ISD superintendent Rob Fields, budget issues, and board conduct.
The investigation report, conducted by law firm Walsh Gallegos, was finalized in April 2026.
At a March 19 board meeting, board meeting minutes show the district’s board voted 4-3 to have the law firm continue its investigation into Ryan. Records show the scope of the investigation into Ryan was clarified during that meeting.
Ryan is one of the three board members who voted against the decision, while Macias is among the majority who voted in favor.
“... They had every reason to not be kind to me in the investigation; they have zero reason to hide or cover up anything,” Ryan told KSAT Investigates.
The meeting’s minutes show six board members, including Ryan, voted to hire a different law firm, JCA Law, PLLC., to investigate complaints against Macias, who abstained from the vote.
“As a result of Ms. Ryan’s interference and intimidation, the outcome of the investigation was compromised,” said Macias in a statement to KSAT Investigates on Tuesday. He accused Ryan of intimidating witnesses who ultimately did not agree to be interviewed for the investigation, and said the TEA is investigating allegations of abuse of authority.
Statement from Ryan
“Board members represented to the Board and to the Texas Education Agency—in writing—that there were two actual employee complaints of retaliation against me and provided investigators with more than a dozen employees to interview.
“The investigation told a very different story. Every employee interviewed denied making a complaint of retaliation, denied coming forward to anyone with a complaint of retaliation, and denied that I had retaliated against them. In the end, the transcripts show board members lied about being in receipt of complaints, and the investigation produced no finding that I retaliated against an employee.
“The cost is very real. The allegations advanced by Lisa Butler, Suzanne Kenoyer, Laura Stanford, and Jose Macias have already cost Judson ISD more than $27,000 in district funds—money that should have been spent serving students. That cost continues to grow as a TEA investigation generates additional legal fees based on the same false allegations the district already investigated and did not substantiate.
“There has also been a deeply personal cost. My children never asked to be part of school district politics, yet they have been dragged into this and had their personal information exposed on social media over allegations about me that were not substantiated.
“Public officials should expect scrutiny, and legitimate complaints should be taken seriously. But there is a profound difference between accountability and using unsubstantiated allegations to trigger governmental investigative processes for political purposes.
“Judson ISD has too much important work ahead of us to continue spending taxpayer dollars and valuable time relitigating allegations already investigated and not substantiated. Our time, resources, and attention belong where they should have been all along: on our students.”
Judson ISD Board President Monica Ryan
Statement from Macias
“The investigation into abuse of board authority was intentionally tainted through veiled threats and intimidation by Ms. Ryan. She publicly named the employees, potential witnesses into her actions, on social media in an effort to possibly intimidate them.
“Additionally, Ms. Ryan threatened the law firm doing the investigation with non-payment if they did not pause the investigation immediately. She claimed they were not authorized to conduct a broad investigation into her actions. Ms. Ryan wanted to bring the investigation back to the board to take action to close it out.
“However, the board ultimately voted 4-3 to continue with the investigation, but at the same meeting, the law firm conducting the investigation, that pushed back against Ms. Ryan’s assertions about the scope and desire to pause the investigation, were fired as board counsel and replaced with JCA. As a result of Ms. Ryan’s interference and intimidation, the outcome of the investigation was compromised.
“I look forward to the Texas Education Agency’s investigation into some of the same allegations of abuse of board authority. I am confident that Ms. Ryan cannot interfere, fire, or intimidate TEA.”
Judson ISD board member Jose Macias
Have a tip about Judson ISD? You can email Daniela at dibarra@ksat.com .
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.