PROSPER, Texas — Two former Prosper ISD employees are facing charges in connection with failing to report alleged child sexual abuse involving students, police say.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, 38-year-old Renna Bersosa and 43-year-old Kasie Ostrom are both accused of failing to make a report of sexual assault after a student claimed three of her teammates had been sexually assaulted by another teammate off-campus during multiple sleepovers this summer.
Prosper ISD social media pages show Bersosa was named head softball coach in May 2023 and Ostrom was welcomed to the staff as an assistant coach in June.
The affidavit says two days before school started, a student and her mother met with Bersosa and Ostrom in Bersosa’s office. The student allegedly told Bersosa that three of her teammates were “sexually abused and raped” by another player on the team.
Bersosa allegedly told the student that the suspect involved in the alleged sexual assaults was “a good player” and she didn’t “want to lose her.”
The student told police that Bersosa said to handle the incident with the suspect herself and to tell the suspect that if she doesn’t stop committing sexual assault, she would report it to the coach. The student then sent a text to the suspect saying just that, according to the affidavit.
In that same meeting, the mother of the student reporting the sexual assault said that Ostrom didn’t say a word.
According to court documents, the student also told her therapist about the sexual assault and the therapist immediately sent a report to Child Protective Services. The therapist told police that two of the student’s coaches were made aware of the incidents.
On Aug. 23, a Prosper police sergeant met with Bersosa to discuss the allegations. Bersosa reportedly told the sergeant that she didn’t report the sexual assaults because she “was not aware she had to report a third-party allegation.”
Monica Rivera is the vice president of prevention education at SafeSport, a nonprofit that works to protect athletes from sexual abuse. She says kids and adults should have open conversations about inappropriate behaviors.
“Mandatory reporting is critical because it can potentially intervene before situations potentially escalate," Rivera said. “Abuse does happen and it happens most often in our own communities and from people that we know and trust."
When the police spoke with Ostrom, she admitted to being present during the meeting with the student but believed that Bersosa was going to investigate the information. Ostrom told police she returned to work and didn’t follow up with Bersosa on the allegations.
Prosper ISD sent a letter to parents after being made aware of the allegations and arrest warrants for both Bersosa and Ostrom. The district said both employees were immediately placed on administrative leave the week of Aug. 14, pending the results of a criminal investigation.
“State law mandates that educators file a report within 48 hours when they develop suspicions of potential child abuse or neglect. Prosper ISD requires employees to undergo training to ensure they know the proper steps to report such cases,” the district wrote in the letter to parents.
Both are facing a misdemeanor charge of Fail to Report Family Code, Prosper police said.
“I wish we didn’t need these resources, but unfortunately, our rates of abuse are high," said Rivera.
SafeSport can investigate incidents across the country both through online and phone reporting.
The district wouldn’t say if the student accused of assault has faced discipline.
Neither Bersosa nor Ostrom could be reached for comments.