Just days into her new role as principal of Lago Vista High School, Janda Castillo is presiding over her first controversy. Lago Vista ISD was repeatedly notified of continuous and ongoing UIL violations by former Burnet ISD teacher Daniel Clements involving LVISD students. Rather than report these violations, LVISD suppressed them.
Indeed, even after LVISD claimed it had paused all private coaching on campus, the Athletic Director explicitly enabled Clements to act as a District coach at track meets in open mockery of the UIL rules.
We alleged in February of 2024 that LVISD promised a soon-to-be-posted job to Clements under highly suspicious circumstances. Despite far more qualified applicants throwing their hats in, LVISD hired Clements and immediately placed him in the same coaching role that his application falsely claimed he held in 2024: “LVISD Distance Coach.”
This is a perfect example of LVISD prioritizing sports and back-room deals over student education. When served with Open Records requests, Burnet ISD confirmed Clements was not granted coaching access at Burnet ISD.
Editor’s note: This report concerns alleged public-school governance, hiring, and UIL compliance issues involving Lago Vista ISD, Lago Vista High School, Daniel Clements, and Janda Castillo.