According to reports, a Texas school superintendent was placed on paid leave by the board Thursday evening following allegations of violence and certain other wrongdoing.
The Texas Education Agency previously told Fox News that RRISD Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez was under investigation for assault allegations made by a woman claiming to be his mistress.
Following the arrest of parents for allegedly disrupting meetings last year, Azaiez is accused of employing school board police to try to suppress his critics. According to Austin’s KVUE-TV, Azaiez isn’t facing any criminal charges.
The suspension had been recommended by a monitor hired by Texas Education Agency.
On Thursday, the board also approved hiring an outside investigator to look into Azaiez’s actions, as well as appointing a former superintendent to act as a temporary superintendent while the investigation is being carried on.
Through his lawyer, Azaiez denied the accusations.
His lawyer said in a statement in part: “I am appalled that the TEA and the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees would allow themselves to be hijacked, coerced, and forced by two renegade members of the Round Rock ISD Board to pursue the ouster of Dr. Azaiez based upon an alleged assault that, in their heart of hearts, each member of the Board knows never occurred,” according to KVUE. “Succinctly stated, as counsel for Dr. Azaiez, we have objective evidence, which we believe to be incontrovertible, demonstrating that the alleged assault, which is the genesis of this controversy, did not occur.”
Jeremy Story, an RRISD citizen, and father of seven homeschooled kids who were detained for allegedly interrupting school board meetings after raising concerns about Azaiez’s assault allegations, previously told Fox News that he supported Azaiez being placed on paid leave.
“They are truly responsible for laying the foundations of this disaster by hiring Azaiez despite community concerns and, after that, suppressing the viewpoints of two other board members who have tried to draw attention to this problem,” Story said of the board. “The unfaithful five board members topped all these wrongful actions off by arresting Dustin and I for speaking out against their misguided actions.”
