Austin Theater Teacher Sued by Ex-Students Dies

Diane “Betsy” Cornwell, the longtime Austin theater teacher at the center of state and federal lawsuits filed by former students, reportedly died this month of natural causes. The instructor’s death coincided with the start of classes for the Austin Independent School District, one year after she left the classroom amid allegations of misconduct. 

The district put Cornwell on paid administrative leave after nine former students alleged in court filings that the teacher had subjected them to emotional abuse, encouraged them to perform sexual acts on each other, and created a hostile educational environment at James Bowie High School. Cornwell was still an employee of the district as of June, but district officials did not respond to inquiries about whether she had been cleared to teach again. 

Cornwell had led the Bowie theater department—known as the “Starlight Theater Company”—since the school opened in 1988. In 2022, the school district announced that a new fine arts building on the campus would be named after Cornwell, whose name was “synonymous with the program,” according to a supportive resolution from the campus advisory council. The theater program was renowned across the state, and students were even invited to perform internationally more than once during Cornwell’s tenure. To those on the outside, the tight-knit program seemed to be a place where students were thriving. 

But the lawsuit—which the Texas Observer reported on in July—alleges that the program was so toxic that multiple students were hospitalized for suicidal ideation. 

The plaintiffs describe closed-door rehearsals during which they say they were forced by Cornwell to roll around on the floor with their castmates, kissing and groping. They talk about “emotional recall” exercises, during which they were made to dramatically divulge their most traumatic memories—a parent’s suicide, living with an eating disorder, physical abuse—which Cornwell would allegedly then use against them to evoke emotions during performances. Several allegations were physical: Plaintiffs recall Cornwell inappropriately touching and tickling students, and one woman tells of a time when Cornwell kissed her on the lips and slapped her male classmate across the face before a performance. 

Cornwell’s death does not halt the legal proceedings, although another recent development could affect the federal suit, in which the school district is the defendant. That suit alleges violations of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. On August 10, U.S. District Judge David Ezra granted the district’s motion to dismiss the case, citing an accepted two-year limit for filing Title IX complaints. “[B]y the time they graduated from AISD, Plaintiffs … were aware their abusers were employees of the District; … had made complaints to the District about the abusers; and … knew that the District failed to stop the alleged abuse,” the judge’s decision reads. The judge gave the former students 21 days to amend their complaint, which the plaintiffs plan to do. They contend that the 2022 decision to name the building for Cornwell opened old wounds, which would mean their complaints aren’t time-barred.

The state-court suit, in which three former students sued  Cornwell personally for alleged violations of state law, including indecency with a child and sexual performance of a child, will continue against Cornwell’s estate. An appellate court is currently considering the case after the original judge denied Cornwell’s motion to dismiss it. There has been no movement on that suit since June. 

In the aftermath of Cornwell’s death, current and former students have called into question the district’s ongoing handling of the allegations against the teacher. On Friday evening, the school is hosting a memorial service for Cornwell in the same theater in which many of the alleged instances of sexual misconduct and emotional abuse occurred. AISD officials did not respond to requests for comment.