ROUND ROCK — A contentious saga continues in a “safe and suburban” Central Texas community.
This month, the Round Rock Independent School District appealed to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for permission to conceal an investigation report of recently hired Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez, who has been accused of domestic violence.
Allegedly, Azaiez threatened his pregnant mistress to abort their child and assaulted her when she refused.
The months-long saga included three separate investigations into the district and Azaiez, a judge’s permanent restraining order against him (the conditions of which he agreed to), and five of the seven school board members covering up Azaiez’ alleged violence and eventually reinstating him. The recent events in Round Rock made national headlines.
Texas Scorecard chronicled these events in a recent special report and Exposed, an exclusive podcast series.
Now, after Texas Scorecard and 35 citizens submitted open records requests for the external investigator’s report, the district asked AG Paxton to not simply redact certain obvious confidential information (social security numbers, addresses, etc.), but to hide the entire document from the public.
“As legal counsel for the Round Rock Independent School District, and on its behalf, I am requesting authorization to withhold certain information that the District believes is not subject to and/or is excepted from disclosure under the Public Information Act,” wrote district interim attorney Jacob Woolston.
“Despite [the external investigator’s] clear recommendation of looking at the facts, five of the trustees chose to ignore the facts and reinstate Azaiez,” wrote the victim’s lawyer, Adam Muery, in a press release last week. “They made the decision to keep him as superintendent of schools despite knowing there existed a permanent order from a judge threatening Azaiez with up to six months in jail for coming within 500 feet of certain schools or places of worship in Texas. … [The school board] reinstated this abuser to his job overseeing the education of children, meanwhile actively besmirching the reputation of my client, who herself is a proven leader in the education field. She trusts that the [Texas Education Agency] will now take the necessary action with regards to Azaiez.”
“There are multiple causes of action that we are considering on behalf of [the victim] and anticipate filing a lawsuit against Azaiez as early as next week.”
Texas Scorecard will continue to follow the story and monitor for AG Paxton’s ruling.
The district’s full appeal letter can be viewed here, and the victim’s press release can be viewed here.
