Investigation into allegations of bribery and threats of violence in Kemp ISD stalled in court
A temporary restraining order prevents the Texas Education Agency from completing investigation.
A Texas Education Agency investigation into Kemp schools is stalled in court after a judge granted the school district a temporary restraining order.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
10:00 AM on May 10, 2021 CDT
Judge Jan Soifer granted the school district a temporary restraining order in March that halted the Texas Education Agency’s investigation into the small 1,600-student school district located 45 miles southeast of Dallas. A hearing on the order is scheduled for Thursday.
Late last year, TEA officials signed off on a preliminary report that described a toxic climate and dysfunctional board that “misused its position to assert control and power, creating chaos and conflict” that hindered Kemp.
Kemp ISD denies state findings of bribery, intimidation, racism
The district’s lawyer shifted blame to previous administrators and denied anonymous employee accounts.
Kemp officials denied the state’s findings, appealing investigators’ recommendations that TEA remove the elected trustees and appoint managers to oversee the district.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
Kemp officials deny that there’s a case for the Texas education commissioner to take over the district and say an investigation calling for such a penalty was “one-sided.”
The Dallas-area school district is facing severe sanctions after a Texas Education Agency review substantiated allegations of racism, bribery and procurement law violations.
Principal who reported Kemp superintendent’s use of racist slur alleges retaliation
The North Texas district is under state investigation for concerns of racist remarks and a toxic climate.
The Kemp principal who reported her superintendent’s use of a racist slur to the Texas Education Agency is now alleging that district officials retaliated against her.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
The Kemp principal who reported her superintendent’s use of a racist slur to the Texas Education Agency is now alleging that district officials retaliated against her for raising concerns about discrimination.
Jennifer Easterling, a Black woman, filed a complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission last week alleging that district officials reprimanded her in retaliation for her reports against interim Superintendent Douglas Moore.
Concerns of racist remarks, bribery, intimidation, toxic climate prompt a likely state takeover at Kemp ISD
A state investigation found the board president frequently threatened violence and used racial slurs.
A Kemp ISD board president Charissa Roberts, center, prepares to conduct a board meeting at the district's admin building in Kemp, on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. A Texas Education Agency investigation revealed a toxic culture within the Kemp ISD board. The dysfunction often resulted in using racist slurs by board members, threatening staff and engaging in contract procurement violations.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
The Kemp school board president wanted a reason to fire the superintendent, so she tried to get a district employee to seduce the school leader, a state investigation found.