Spring Branch ISD teacher jailed in child pornography case involving minors

Chandler Samuel Lee Price, an English teacher at Northbrook Middle School in Spring Branch ISD, was jailed after court documents said he possessed and exchanged child sexual abuse material involving children under 10, with some victims appearing to be as young as 5 to 8.

Prosecutors described messages at Price’s probable-cause hearing that painted a disturbing picture of awareness and intent. In the texts, Price allegedly replied, “lol sure,” and wrote, “I have a dude who’s 14 if you’re interested lol,” and “you really love underage.” Court documents also said a co-defendant in Ohio asked Price whether he wanted to see child pornography and that Price allegedly answered yes. ABC13 reported that Price had taught in Spring Branch ISD for three years.

A magistrate set Price’s bond at $250,000. If he is released, court conditions require him to stay at least 200 feet away from any school, avoid living within 1,000 feet of places where children typically gather, wear an ankle monitor and have no contact with children. He remained at the Harris County Jail as the case moved forward.

Spring Branch ISD moved quickly to distance Price from the campus. The district placed him on administrative leave and barred him from SBISD property. In a letter to parents, the district said law enforcement confirmed the alleged actions had no connection to Spring Branch ISD, Northbrook Middle School, or any SBISD or Northbrook students. For a district already under scrutiny, the case has made hiring checks, digital-monitoring policies and classroom access questions more urgent.

The reaction from parents was immediate. Carolina Ferman, whose son had been in Price’s class last year, said she was “still in shock.” Her alarm reflects the larger fear now hanging over Northbrook: not just what one teacher is accused of doing, but how much warning a school system can detect before a trusted adult reaches children.

The timing only deepened the blow. Spring Branch ISD trustees are scheduled to vote May 11 on whether to close Northbrook Middle School because of declining enrollment and a roughly $24 million budget shortfall. The campus’s accountability history has been uneven, with an F in 2025, a D in 2024 and a B in 2023. Texas Tribune data shows Northbrook is in Harris County and is 90.1% Hispanic and 94.4% economically disadvantaged. Houston Chronicle reporting said closing Northbrook would be the seventh school closure on Spring Branch ISD’s north side in three years. For Spring Branch families, the question now is whether the district can prove its safeguards are strong enough to protect students before a crisis reaches a classroom.