Irving Perez, 33, was employed by Wayside Schools in Austin, Travis County, Texas, United States. In 2019, he started teaching 4-year-olds at Wayside: REAL Learning Academy in Austin.

On January 15, 2022, Perez opened an Instagram account. Using this account, he allegedly shared a video with child pornography on July 23, 2022 while he was employed as a Wayside: REAL Learning Academy preschool teacher.

In the video was a man engaged in a sexual act with a naked girl aged around 6-10. Neither he nor she is associated with the school where Perez was teaching.

On July 24, 2022, Perez’s Instagram account was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by Instagram as required by federal law. On October 16, 2022, he closed the account.

A Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas (DPS) special agent obtained a search warrant for the Instagram account to verify that it belonged to Perez. On April 28, 2023, the investigator received the results from the warrant, which confirmed that the account did belong to the preschool teacher and he paid to receive the pornographic video.

On May 1, 2023, Perez was charged with possession or promotion of child pornography. It is a third-degree felony charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

On May 15, 2023, the DPS informed Wayside Schools that Perez was under investigation without providing details about it. The school district immediately escorted the teacher off campus and placed him on administrative leave. 

On May 16, 2023, the DPS informed Wayside Schools that Perez had been arrested. He was booked into the Travis County Jail in Austin and his bond was set at $20,000.

Anyone harmed by Irving Perez is asked to contact Texas Department of Public Safety special agent Stephen Haehnel at 512-997-4100.