At meeting, Little Elm parents say school district mishandled sexual assault reports
Calls for resignations and accountability and claims of mishandled sexual assault reports were echoed among Little Elm ISD parents, students and community members Tuesday night.
In the auditorium of Little Elm High School, where a planned protest spiraled out of control Nov. 19, the school district held a listening session for parents and students to express their concerns to a panel of four administrators that included Superintendent Daniel Gallagher.
Several community members, out of about 200 who attended, spoke up about sexual assault allegations involving their children that they say were dismissed or mishandled within the district.
John Alvarez said his child was sexually assaulted by another student several times on a school bus in October. The district’s handling of her case was the main catalyst for the protest, according to an online petition.
Alvarez said he wasn’t informed of an investigation until two days later when he called the school. Alvarez also said his daughter was given three days of in-school suspension for allegedly violating an order to stay away from the student she accused of assault.
Alvarez asked why there were consequences for his daughter but not for the person he said assaulted her.
School and town officials have said they investigated the report but didn’t find enough evidence to pursue charges.
“We send our kids to school for you to educate and protect and keep safe,” Alvarez said. “How am I as a parent supposed to feel knowing situations may possibly be brushed off, like my daughter’s, and fellow students as well?”
Catherine Tate spoke about her daughter’s reported sexual assault at a Little Elm ISD middle school. She said administrators asked her daughter to retract her statement and refused to suspend the person she said assaulted her.
The parent said she pressed charges against the suspect and won the case. Her daughter, who also spoke, said the other person was punished by the law but not by the school.
A public records request by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to the school district on Nov. 24 asking for the number of sexual misconduct incidents reported within the last five years has not been fulfilled or answered as of Tuesday.
“Little Elm knows of only one such report this year — the one that sparked the current discussion,” town officials wrote on a website, called Little Elm Facts, created to answer questions surrounding the protest. “Anyone who has first-hand knowledge of any incident involving sexual assault on school property or during the school day should immediately make a report to Little Elm Police. Police take the appropriate action in every single case for which (they receive) a report.”
Parents also called for accountability and resignations within the district administration. Parents said the school district knew of the planned protest and asked why the town police department was called and used pepper spray and tasers on minors.
On the Little Elm Facts website, town officials wrote that, “Police, in their everyday role as school resource officers, were already at the school when the walkout began. When it became clear the demonstration was not going to be peaceful, more officers arrived to ensure the school resource officers were not overwhelmed.”
At least one student was tased by police and several were affected by the pepper spray, according to the initial report by the Star-Telegram. Four students were arrested during the protest.
Officials have said that two students assaulted police officers and a third tried to interfere with an arrest, which caused the teen to be pepper-sprayed and later tased “when the student would not stop advancing toward the officer.” A fourth student reportedly spit on an officer.
During the listening session, parents and students said the school district failed to take accountability. One parent criticized Gallagher for not requiring the high school’s principal to attend the session.
One mother, Arinthea Haynes, said she has reached out to administrators over bullying issues with her children but that they have not followed up with her concerns.
Haynes said she’s pulling her kids out of Little Elm ISD after moving to four different schools within the district. She said she put her house on the market the day before the protest, and the district’s response since then has only solidified her decision to move.
Grandmother Paula Dauro said there was a lack of leadership and spoke out against the Little Elm Police Department’s use of force.
Lloyd Reeves also spoke out against the use of force and said he was organizing a class action lawsuit against the district and encouraged other parents to reach out to him.
Days after the protest, Gallagher and Mayor Curtis Cornelious released a video saying information shared about the allegations lacked context. The website “Little Elm Facts” was created to “address and clarify distortions, misinformation, and falsehoods” surrounding the incident.
According to the Little Elm Facts website, Little Elm Police Chief Rodney Harrison will have the officers’ actions reviewed by an outside use-of-force expert.
The school district will also create an independent committee to review its sexual harassment reporting and investigation process, which it invited parents to apply to join.
Around the same time officials’ video statement was released, Little Elm High School sophomore Teagan Langley created a Change.org petition titled “Keep LEISD Students Safe” asking for the school district to take action.
As of Tuesday evening, the petition had more than 20,000 signatures.
Langley said Tuesday that she collected the stories of 10 students who reported sexual assault and that they were all dismissed.
“My goal for my petition was to hold you to your word,” she said to the panel. “Immediately, with the video y’all put out the same day I put out my petition, you had already failed. You said you would protect us ... I don’t think any of us believe you.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 9:38 AM.
