LAGO VISTA, Texas — A Central Texas school district is admitting fault after parents raised concerns about a private coach who was allegedly inappropriately contacting students. On Tuesday, Lago Vista ISD officials released the results of an independent investigation into how that person's presence at school events went unnoticed for so long.
The report released on Tuesday found the district displayed multiple shortcomings when vetting the man and doing the proper background checks.
The man has not been charged with a crime and was not a district employee. But parents said he showed up to practices and community events, offering his services as a private running coach. The report found he became regarded as a volunteer coach and was even given access to apps and other services that require district staff approval.
Multiple students reported that man slapped them on the buttocks in the summer of 2023. At least one district official reportedly knew about the situation and exchanged texts about it, but it only resulted in a written warning.
The man does have a criminal history, but the report found LVISD staff did not know that until late February, after parents raised concerns. One board member from the meeting admitted this is an eye-opener for the district.
"We do have a comprehensive list of backgrounds in our policies, communications culture that we do have to address. There were end-to-end failures, no doubt, and we do have to address them," Isai Arredondo, secretary for Place 3, said.
The third party that investigated recommended strong training and procedural changes for staff vetting but also training for students to recognize warning signs of inappropriate behavior.
Board members voted unanimously to create a review board for what they will do next that will include two board members, three administrators and two community members.
The district also told KVUE in a statement, in part:
"The third party investigative report has been thoroughly reviewed by our team, and we believe that the findings are appropriate. We are committed to taking decisive actions to rectify any deficiencies identified in the investigative findings."
The district said it will get to work on forming this committee and taking the necessary next steps.
When the full report becomes available, this article will be updated with a link to access it.