North Texas school superintendent responds after students arrested, pepper-sprayed, tased
Little Elm school district’s superintendent will hold a listening session Nov. 30 to address the district’s policies for reporting and investigating sexual harassment after a student demonstration ended with students being pepper-sprayed and tased, according to a statement on the district’s website.
The listening session will be held at Little Elm High School’s auditorium at 6 p.m. Nov. 30.
Four Little Elm High School students were arrested Friday morning after they were accused of assaulting Little Elm police officers during a student-led protest.
According to Little Elm ISD officials, students at the high school had planned a demonstration inside the campus that caused a “major disruption.” Police said they used a taser and pepper spray on students.
The district still has not released any specific details on what prompted the student demonstration but said it was related to a claim of sexual harassment. The district said Friday that the protest was sparked by a social media post “that contained inaccurate information regarding an incident that happened a month ago.”
Little Elm school district Superintendent Daniel Gallagher said in a statement on the district’s website he also has plans to implement three steps while looking into changes to policy:
- Create an independent committee to review the district’s policies on reporting and investigating sexual harassment claims in the district
- Instruct the Little Elm ISD Safety and Security Committee to create and present an after-action report on the student demonstration and subsequent unrest on the campus of Little Elm High School
- Perform an independent investigation into the sexual harassment claim that led to the demonstrations Friday.
Gallagher said in his statement on the district’s website that he has heard or read all the “questions, thoughts, and concerns” that have been sent to the district following the demonstration Friday.
“I am a parent as well who knows how important it is that our children feel safe, valued, and heard,” Gallagher wrote. “I will be as transparent as possible, but due to federal privacy laws, we are restricted from providing certain details related to students. With that said, I want to assure you that our Board of Trustees, District administration, and the administration at Little Elm High School are focused on student safety and restoring public trust.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 2:47 PM.