Little Elm sexual-assault investigation report finds no systematic failure
A Title IX investigation into how Little Elm ISD handled a sexual assault claim made by a student in October —which led to a student protest in November — found no systematic failure within the district.
In a letter addressed to the school district community, Superintendent Daniel Gallagher said attorneys from the law firm Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell and Munoz, P.C. spoke directly with students, parents and administrators identified in a Change.org petition, titled “Keep LEISD Students Safe” asking for the school district to take action.
As of Friday evening, the petition, created by Little Elm High School sophomore Teagan Langley had over 34,000 signatures.
On Nov. 30, Little Elm ISD held a listening session where about 200 district parents, students and community members voiced their concerns and asked for accountability among administration.
John Alvarez was one of several parents who spoke up at the listening session about sexual assault allegations involving their children, allegations the parents said had been dismissed or mishandled within the district. During the session, Alvarez said his child had been 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 the petition.
The investigation report, which can be found on the Little Elm ISD website, said neither administrators nor employees “fell below the legal standard of deliberate indifference.” While the report did not find failures in the system, it lists eight recommendations on how the district can improve.
One recommendation states whenever a student reports an incident requiring a written statement and investigation, that parents of the student are notified within three days.
Failure to follow up on incident concerns, such as bullying, was what one mother, Arinthea Haynes, spoke out about on Nov. 30. She said despite reaching out to administrators over bullying issues with her children, no one had followed up on her concerns, the Star-Telegram previously reported.
The report also recommends the creation of a Title IX coordinator who would handle bullying complaints and sexual harassment.
After-Action Review results regarding the district’s handling of the Nov. 19 protest at Little Elm High School, which led to the arrest of four students, gave further recommendations on how the district can better deal with similar situations in the future and improve communications with the district community.
“It is important to note that while we can and will improve, it is not accurate to say that the District failed our students,” Gallagher said in the letter. “It is also important to emphasize that there is no excuse for some of the actions taken by students during the recent demonstrations that have led to criminal charges.”
Gallagher said district administration will review the recommendations over the next several weeks for a final report to be presented to the Board of Trustees.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 8:41 PM.
