Parent Says Devil’s Den Teacher Displayed Disturbing Behavior Toward Girls — and Resigned Following Investigation

A former Texas elementary school teacher—now charged with the brutal murder of a married couple in an Arkansas state park—had previously exhibited troubling behavior toward female students and questionable teaching practices, according to a parent whose child was once in his classroom.

Andrew James McGann, 28, was arrested on Wednesday, July 30, and formally charged on Friday, Aug. 1, with capital murder in the deaths of Clinton David Brink, 43, and his wife, Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, who were found slain at Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday, July 26.

The Brinks’ two young children, ages 7 and 9, were with them at the time but were unharmed. Police said the children are now safe and with family. McGann is currently being held without bond.

During the 2022–2023 school year, McGann taught fourth grade at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas. That’s where Lindsay Polyak’s son occasionally spent part of his Fridays in McGann’s classroom. She said her son frequently shared troubling stories after school.

Polyak recalled her son describing days spent playing games on his iPad in McGann’s class. Once, he even mentioned watching the World Cup during class time—prompting her to question the academic rigor in McGann’s classroom.

Polyak also claimed her son observed clear favoritism directed at female students.

“My son would come home and tell me, ‘Mom, Mr. McGann gives out lots of candy, but he only gives it to the girls. Mr. McGann brought Sonic drinks today, but only for girls in class—only for special girls that he really likes,’” Polyak told PEOPLE.

According to Polyak, concerns weren’t limited to just her family. Other parents, she said, also raised red flags about McGann’s conduct.

“He would have these lunches during the time when the other kids would go to the cafeteria, where he allowed girls to stay behind and have lunch with him in his classroom alone,” she alleged. Her son also claimed to have seen McGann tickling girls during these private lunches.

While Polyak herself did not file a complaint with the school, she said other parents did—leading to an internal investigation by the Lewisville Independent School District.

The district later confirmed that McGann was placed on administrative leave in spring 2023 while officials examined concerns regarding his classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism.

In a message to the school community this week, district leaders said their investigation concluded that McGann’s “classroom management and professional judgment” failed to meet expectations. However, the inquiry did not find evidence of inappropriate conduct with students. McGann resigned from his position in May 2023.

“The district should not have allowed him to resign,” Polyak said. “They should have taken some sort of disciplinary measure and potentially terminated him—something that would have gone on his record, where when he went to apply at the next school, when they would call for employment verification, that they would find out.”

Authorities have said there is currently no evidence McGann knew Clinton or Cristen Brink, and a motive for the killings remains unclear.

Following his departure from the Texas school district, McGann reportedly spent about a year teaching in Oklahoma. He was recently hired by a public school in Arkansas but had not yet started the position at the time of his arrest.

McGann did not enter a plea during his initial court appearance on Friday morning.