Little Elm officials to investigate tasing of student at protest, allegations of sexual harassment

Little Elm school leaders want to know what happened that lead up to police using force on and then arresting students last week.

In a letter to the community on Sunday, Superintendent Daniel Gallagher said the district’s safety and security committee will conduct an after-action review of the incident that led to four students being arrested.

“What led to Friday’s student protest hits us at the core of who we are and we have to find a way to restore the trust you need in order for all of us to move forward,” Gallagher said in the letter.

On Friday, students at Little Elm High School held a demonstration inside the campus after a classmate recently shared on Snapchat that she had been sexually harassed by a classmate on the bus, one student told The News.

Parents and community members have expressed concern about videos from the incident circulating, questioning how the situation escalated to officers using such force and school officials’ reactions to the protest. Police are seen shooting pepper spraying toward teens and tasing one student.

In a video message released on Monday, Gallagher and Little Elm Mayor Curtis Cornelious delved into some details noting that the videos did not show what led up to the use of force.

A large group of students allegedly attempted to break into an administrator’s office in pursuit of individuals, who were in genuine fear for their safety, Gallagher said.

Two students allegedly assaulted two separate officers while another tried to break up the arrest and was pepper sprayed and tased by an officer after continuing to advance towards police, Cornelious said. A fourth student spit on an officer, which under Texas law is deemed an assault, he added.

The Little Elm Police Department is conducting review of the incident to ensure that officers involved in the incident followed policies and the law, Cornelious said.

Gallagher said that he and school officials will hold a listening session about the incident in the high school auditorium at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30.

Along with announcing next week’s event, Gallagher noted that he’s creating an independent committee to review the district’s sexual harassment reporting and investigating process.

An independent investigation will review the sexual harassment claims that led to the student protest. Last week, Little Elm school officials posted on social media that the protest was the result of “inaccurate information.”

Gallagher said more than a month ago, a student made an allegation against another student and the district launched an investigation. Little Elm police joined the investigation alongside campus administration and it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove a crime was committed, Cornelious said.

Parents and students on social media have claimed that after reporting the sexual harassment, she was disciplined by the school.

“It is important to note that in this incident, no student received a disciplinary consequence for reporting sexual misconduct,” Gallagher said in the video.

Gallagher and Cornelious closed out by condemning instances of sexual misconduct.

“We support the brave victims who come forward,” Gallagher said.

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