Parents and students demanded better accountability and transparency from Little Elm ISD after students were pepper sprayed and one was shocked with a stun gun during a protest at the high school last month.
More than 200 people gathered in the Little Elm High School auditorium Tuesday night to voice their concerns about the Nov. 19 incident that stemmed from students holding a demonstration inside the campus after a classmate shared that she had been sexually harassed by a classmate on the bus.
Several videos on social media show students being pepper sprayed by officers and in one case show a girl being dragged out by her hair during the clash with police. Four students were arrested and, according to parents, several others sustained injuries.
Sophomore Teagan Langley, who helped lead the student walkout, said response to the protest was mishandled. The 16-year-old has a petition calling for the district to keep its students safe that has over 20,000 signatures in support.
“We’re kids. Y’all are the adults,” she said. “It is your job to protect us, and you have failed for far too long. Do better.”
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Langley said the goal of the petition is to hold the district accountable for plans officials have made since the incident, including the implementation of a committee to investigate the alleged sexual harassment.
Paula Dauro said her granddaughter was hit with a baton when the sophomore was trying to help the student who was shocked with a stun gun. Her granddaughter has bruises on her ribs and arms, she said.
Dauro called the use of force by police excessive and said it needs to be addressed. She added that district officials need to communicate better if they know a protest is occurring.
“What happened on [that] Friday has solidified in those kids’ minds that the police were the enemy, and they are not there to help,” Dauro said. “That’s gonna be hard to reset at this age for 14- to 15-year-olds.”
Anna De Luna, a parent of six children, said she was bringing lunch to her son at the high school right as the protest started.
As she walked up to the building she heard screaming and crying from students, and after several attempts to enter she was let in by a student gasping for air, De Luna said. The mother described wiping off students’ faces while several more teens reached out to her for help. De Luna said she could see no other adults around.
“Y’all failed to be responsible. Y’all failed to keep our children safe. And y’all have to be held accountable,” she said.
Little Elm officials have said the viral videos don’t show everything that led up to the use of force at the high school. They said that some students were assaulting officers and that a large group of students attempted to break into an administrator’s office in pursuit of individuals who were in genuine fear for their safety.
Schools Superintendent Daniel Gallagher opened the listening session by saying there is an appropriate way to protest at the district, which was the case during a student-led demonstration last year.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death by a Minnesota police officer, a student asked Gallagher and local police about conducting a protest. The officials agreed, and the protest occurred with no incidents due to proactive communication, Gallagher noted.
“We can have a discussion that doesn’t put others in unsafe situations,” he said. “Now, more than ever, we need to come together as a community.”
Some parents called for school and district administrators to resign or be suspended for letting the incident escalate out of control.
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Lloyd Reeves, who has a son at Little Elm High, said the negligence shown by administrators is phenomenal.
His son was one of several students caught in the middle and had to help drag kids away from the scene into safety, Reeves said. That shouldn’t be a 15-year-old’s job when the school he goes to is supposed to protect him, Reeves noted.
If the district wants to rebuild any trust with the community, officials should insist on paying legal fees and not blame students for what went wrong, Reeves said.
“A full investigation into the events and policies must take place,” he said.
Several parents also shared stories about sexual harassment issues or assaults that happened to their children when enrolled at Little Elm High.
Gallagher said he’s creating an independent committee to review the district’s sexual harassment reporting and investigating process. An independent investigation also will review the sexual harassment claims that led to the student protest.
Meanwhile, Little Elm police are also reviewing the department’s response during the demonstration.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
The Link LonkDecember 02, 2021 at 12:03AM
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2021/12/01/little-elm-families-want-accountability-after-protest-that-led-to-clash-between-students-and-police/
Little Elm families call for accountability in aftermath of protests that led to students being pepper - The Dallas Morning News
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