Despite the Round Rock Independent School District’s attempts to keep the record hidden, a ruling by the Texas attorney general has brought to light an explosive investigative document on Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez, who has been plagued with scandal. The file shows the superintendent was evasive, still under investigation by government entities, and that the board was advised not to reinstate him.
The board was also made aware of these (and other) facts before two board members claimed he was no longer under investigation.
For many months, Round Rock ISD has been the center of controversy. The eye of this storm has been Azaiez, a superintendent whom five members of the school board—Amy Weir, Jun Xiao, Amber Feller, Cory Vessa, and Tiffanie Harrison—rushed into hiring despite objections from trustees Mary Bone and Danielle Weston, as well as citizens.
Since then, allegations surfaced that Azaiez had threatened his pregnant mistress to murder their baby with a coerced abortion and then physically assaulted her when she refused. Only trustees Weston and Bone pushed for a full investigation into the matter upon hearing the allegations; the others board members—whom citizens dubbed the “Bad Faith Five”—circled the wagons around their handpicked superintendent.
When these allegations surfaced, Azaiez found himself under investigation by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Education Agency. In January 2022, Round Rock ISD suspended Azaiez—with pay—and hired third-party investigator Ann Dixon to look into the allegations.
After Dixon submitted her report, the “Bad Faith Five” voted on March 24 to reinstate Azaiez, with trustees Weir and Harrison claiming the Travis County Sheriff’s Office had closed its investigation.
In March, Texas Scorecard sent an open records request for Dixon’s investigative file, as did others. Round Rock ISD appealed to Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in an effort to conceal the document. On June 7, the AG’s office ruled only parts of the document could be withheld, but the rest had to be released.
On June 8, we received Dixon’s explosive report to the school board. We have redacted her personal mailing address and phone number from the report. All other redactions were done by the school district in response to the AG’s ruling.
“Based on my collective fact findings and understanding of the laws and rules of an educator in Texas, I did state Dr. Azaiez in my opinion could not come back into his position and be effective,” Dixon wrote on March 8, 2022, roughly two weeks before the board majority reinstated him.
Furthermore, the report confirmed board members were made aware that, despite Weir’s and Harrison’s claims, Azaiez was still under investigation by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. Texas Scorecard had received confirmation the investigation was still open last month.
Dixon also found that Azaiez had been evasive and uncooperative with her investigation, and had even kept the board in the dark.
“I’m not sure who I’m more disgusted by,” mused Jennifer White, a Round Rock parent. “The superintendent (Dr. Azaiez) or the majority of the board who voted to keep him.”
White added, “The fact that the board (the five who voted to reinstate him) ignored all the serious red-flag items that the investigator outlined in the report should be enough for each to resign immediately as well.”
A school board meeting is scheduled for June 14, but the agenda doesn’t mention any discussion of Azaiez. Instead, on the agenda is another attempt to censure pro-citizen trustees Bone and Weston. In response, Bone and Weston have put on the agenda attempts to censure Weir, Harrison, Vessa, and Feller.
The last time the board majority attempted to censure Bone and Weston, a judge admonished them.
Citizens may read Dixon’s investigative report below.
