Prosper parents outraged after bus driver accused of sex assault

PROSPER, Texas — A line of outraged parents snaked out the door of the Prosper ISD administration constructing Monday night time as board members from the district held their first assembly since a college bus driver was accused of sexually assaulting two younger sisters over the course of a college yr. 

Last week, a lawsuit was filed towards Prosper ISD by a household that has two younger ladies within the district and unearthed the allegations extensively for the primary time. 

They alleged that former driver Frank Paniagua abused the 2 younger sisters greater than 100 occasions throughout their bus routes. 

Attorneys representing the household are asking parents to come back ahead if Paniagua focused any of their youngsters.

On Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., those self same attorneys shall be out there for consulting and questions on the McCathern Law Firm in Frisco, One Cowboys Way Suite 175. 

The Prosper ISD faculty board has since employed an impartial legislation agency to evaluate and examine the district’s response to the allegations and total state of affairs. 

The two ladies, who will not be named within the go well with, rode the bus three to 4 occasions per week. The abuse, per the go well with, occurred when the 2 ladies have been in kindergarten and first grade.

The ages of the kids on the time have been 5 and seven. The go well with says that Paniagua all the time made a degree to drop the kids off final, primarily when the abuse occurred.

The lawsuit says Paniagua all the time blamed route delays on the women, saying they have been serving to him choose up trash. 

Per attorneys representing the household, the district was conscious of the abuse round May 7 of this yr when the women knowledgeable their parents of what was taking place. 

The attorneys informed WFAA that the mom instantly knowledgeable Prosper ISD and the transportation division. 

Per the attorneys, Paniagua was requested to not come into work on May 9. 

On May 11, the attorneys say Paniagua was arrested on baby sexual abuse costs resulting from bus cameras capturing some of the abuse. 

The abuse occurred from the top of September 2021 via May 4, per the attorneys. 

Paniagua has since died after attempting to take his personal life within the Collin County Jail. His demise is presently beneath investigation, per the sheriff’s workplace. 

The district has mentioned publicly that it took fast motion by firing Paniagua after the allegations have been made however did not remark additional resulting from pending litigation.

The go well with lays blame on the ft of the district, saying it was negligent and will have caught the abuse. 

It expressly factors on the primary few pages to academics within the drop-off traces and their lack of ability to understand that the women have been spending further minutes on the bus after it arrived. 

Before public touch upon Monday night time, the board introduced that an impartial legislation agency had been employed to analyze the district’s response to the abuse. 

“We understand and share the community’s outrage over the allegations,” Board President Drew Wilborn.

“What does it mean to those little girls? Innocence lost. What does it mean to the parents? Trust betrayed. The district knows this happened, and they haven’t sent out any kind of notice to the parents of the kids who rode the bus with this monster,” Levi McCathern and Kristin Hecker, attorneys for the victims, mentioned. 

Parents furiously spoke in the course of the assembly’s public remark portion. 

Many said they have been oblivious to the accusations till a lawsuit was filed and news protection adopted. 

At one level, thunderous applause adopted one guardian’s request for Superintendent Holly Ferguson to resign. 

Lindsey Rios, a guardian whose son rode on Paniagua’s routes, spoke passionately earlier than the board. 

Her most vital criticism centered round information being held again from parents like her after the arrest. 

“Are their reputations more important than our children’s safety?” Rios requested.

“I knew Mr. Frank well, I got my son off the bus every day and put him on the bus. I feel like I knew Mr. Frank. There’s more to this story; they thought this would go away, and that’s my biggest concern.”