More than one state company is investigating allegations of wrongdoing at a constitution faculty system that operates inside Longview ISD.
The Texas Education Agency this month revealed it’s trying into East Texas Advanced Academies for attainable violations of state procedures designed to guard standardized testing integrity. The constitution faculty system has operated inside Longview ISD since 2019, when it started overseeing six LISD campuses.
Also, a Tyler lawyer stated this week that allegations of abuse at East Texas Advanced Academies’ J.L. Everhart Elementary School contain at least 4 non-verbal autistic kids. He stated the district in current weeks confirmed these kids’s mother and father movies of the scholars being abused in a particular schooling classroom at J.L. Everhart. Online TEA information checklist two individuals who labored with particular schooling college students at J.L. Everhart, in addition to the previous curriculum help worker and former campus principal, as “under review by the TEA Investigations Division.”
Cynthia Wise
Information in regards to the investigations have been revealed by requests the News-Journal submitted to a number of state and native businesses in an effort to reply questions on largely unexplained personnel modifications inside East Texas Advanced Academies. Earlier this 12 months, the previous CEO of ETAA, Cynthia Wise, resigned with out clarification and acquired a $350,000 cost. Multiple principal reassignments have been made at ETAA campuses across the similar time. ETAA and LISD officers have supplied little clarification for the modifications.
ETAA additionally oversees East Texas Montessori Prep, Bramlette Steam Academy, Johnston-McQueen Elementary, Ware East Texas Montessori Academy and Forest Park Magnet IB.
ETAA is just not related to East Texas Charter Schools on Alpine Road in Longview.
Those investigating businesses have requested the Texas Attorney General’s Office to find out whether or not all or components of the information the News-Journal requested are exempt from open information legal guidelines. As half of that course of, which is printed within the state’s open authorities guidelines, every company has supplied the News-Journal with its letter to the lawyer normal’s workplace explaining why they consider the information ought to legally be withheld. The AG’s workplace has not but issued determinations on these businesses’ requests, however the businesses’ letters contained some details that make clear points at East Texas Advanced Academies.
Child abuse allegations
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Longview Police Department beforehand indicated in letters they despatched to the Texas AG’s workplace that they’re investigating child abuse allegations inside ETAA.
Tyler lawyer Shane McGuire this week stated his investigation into the studies revealed the particular schooling kids have been “struck, improperly restrained and excessively and inappropriately disciplined.” He described conversations he is had with mother and father of the youngsters after they have been proven movies in current weeks of the classroom incidents.
“We know of at least four nonverbal, autistic children who were subject to the abuse,” McGuire stated.
He stated he is exploring attainable subsequent steps.
“We need to see how the Longview Police Department’s investigation plays out,” he stated.
Jud Murray, a former Longview ISD faculty board member, is the newly designated president of the East Texas Advanced Academies Board of Directors. He stated board members legally cannot touch upon the personnel modifications and investigations.
Jud Murray
However, he stated, personally talking, that the abuse allegations the News-Journal requested him about are “horrific.”
“If laws have been broken, we certainly want … those people brought to justice, and we want justice done,” he stated.
The Texas Education Agency’s web site lists the next individuals who labored at J.L. Everhart throughout this faculty 12 months as “under review:” Linda Lister, whose job is described in a single faculty doc from November 2021 as “curriculum support”; former Principal Cassandra James; particular schooling instructor Cecilia Gregg; and Cynthia Talley, an aide whose certification expired in November. The on-line information don’t point out why they’re below evaluate. Another aide within the particular schooling classroom is not listed on the TEA web site as being below evaluate, and the web site says her academic aide II certification expired in 2011. Attempts to achieve the educators had not been profitable as of Thursday.
LISD spokesman Matthew Prosser acknowledged the ETAA evaluate and stated, “we are unable to comment, other than to reinforce that we are working cooperatively with the authorities and have proceeded, in all instances, at their discretion.”
Longview ISD praised Gregg and Talley in 2021 posts on Facebook:
“Meet Cecelia Gregg, who’s been with LISD for 25 years. To know her is to understand how generous, sweet, and thoughtful she is with her students. Ms. Gregg works in the Life Skills department at J.L. Everhart. Thank you for serving in areas that takes patience, understanding, and the love of a Lobo,” one of the posts stated.
The put up about Talley stated she was in her second 12 months with LISD and served in J.L. Everhart’s Life Skills program for particular schooling college students.
“Her campus is thankful for her ability to shape students’ lives through education. LOBO nation thanks you for being a visual representation of excellence,” the put up stated.
Testing investigation
In its letter to the lawyer normal’s workplace, the Texas Education Agency didn’t point out the precise nature of the attainable testing safety violations it’s investigating at East Texas Advanced Academies.
Testing safety procedures for standardized testing such because the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) are outlined in state legislation and in different procedural directions by the Texas Education Agency.
The TEA web site says, “Maintaining the security and confidentiality of the Texas Assessment Program is critical for ensuring fair and equal testing opportunities for all Texas students. Given the many uses of student performance data and the need to assure educators, parents, students, and the public that test results are meaningful and valid, it is imperative that all individuals participating in the Texas Assessment Program preserve the integrity of test content and student data through strict adherence to the instructions and procedures contained in the manuals and other resources produced for the program.”
The TEA says on its web site that “serious violations” of these procedures are outlined within the Texas Administrative Code. They embrace such actions as: “directly or indirectly assisting students with responses to test questions”; “ tampering with student responses”; “discussing or disclosing secure test content or student responses”; and “fraudulently exempting or preventing a student from participating in the administration of a required state assessment,” among other violations.
“Procedural testing irregularities are less severe, more common, and typically the result of minor deviations in testing procedures,” the website says.
The Texas Education Agency’s letter to the AG’s office referenced the documents it wants to withhold, saying, “The submitted information we have marked is related to open investigations of allegations that educators engaged in inappropriate conduct.”
The schooling company additionally says some of the information “was collected by TEA’s Divisions of Investigations and Compliance and Inquiries …. in conjunction with pending special investigations authorized by section 39.003(a)(8) of the Education Code, which permits special investigations to be conducted in response to an allegation regarding or an analysis using a statistical method result indicating a possible violation of an assessment instrument security procedure, and section 39.003(a)(17), which permits special investigations to be conducted as the Commissioner determines necessary.”