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A Texas school superintendent was placed on paid leave Thursday evening by the board over allegations of assault and other misconduct, according to reports.
Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD) Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez was under investigation over the assault accusations by a woman claiming to have been his mistress, the Texas Education Agency previously told Fox News.
Azaiez is also accused of using school board police to try to silence his critics after parents were arrested for allegedly disturbing board meetings last year. Azaiez isn’t under criminal investigation, according to KVUE-TV in Austin.
A monitor appointed by the Texas Education Agency had recommended the suspension.
The board on Thursday also approved hiring an outside investigator to look into Azaiez’s conduct and appointed a previous superintendent to step in while he is investigated.
Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD) Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez was suspended with pay Thursday. (Round Rock ISD)
Azaiez denied the allegations through his lawyer
His lawyer said in a statement in part: “I am appalled that the TEA and the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees would allow themselves to be hijacked, coerced, and forced by two renegade members of the Round Rock ISD Board to pursue the ouster of Dr. Azaiez based upon an alleged assault that, in their heart of hearts, each member of the Board knows never occurred,” according to KVUE. “Succinctly stated, as counsel for Dr. Azaiez, we have objective evidence, which we believe to be incontrovertible, demonstrating that the alleged assault, which is the genesis of this controversy, did not occur.”
Jeremy Story getting escorted out of a Round Rock ISD school board meeting. (Jeremy Story)
Jeremy Story, a RRISD resident father of seven homeschooled children who got arrested for allegedly disrupting school board meetings after he raised concerns about the assault claims against Azaiez, previously told Fox News he supported putting Azaiez on paid leave.
“They are truly responsible for laying the foundations of this disaster by hiring Azaiez in spite of community concerns and, subsequent to that, suppressing the viewpoints of two other board members who have tried to draw attention to this problem,” Story said of the board. “The unfaithful five board members topped all these wrongful actions off by arresting Dustin [Clark, a father of four children in public schools] and I for speaking out against their misguided actions.”
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Another parent, Chuy Zarate, disagreed, telling KVUE, “Everything’s alleged. Everything that’s come out as far as evidence is concerned has come up to be either, one, false or two, unsubstantiated completely.”
Fox News’ Tyler O’Neil contributed to this report.