ROUND ROCK — The contentious months-long story continues in the “safe and suburban” Central Texas school district.
On Thursday, the Round Rock Independent School District board of trustees will meet behind closed doors to discuss the status of an investigation into recently hired superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez, who has been accused of domestic violence.
According to their Thursday agenda, the board will also consider “the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of the Superintendent, including but not limited to any of the following: removal from administrative leave; reinstatement; disciplinary action including termination; and/or the appointment of an interim superintendent.”
The allegations against Azaiez first surfaced last summer and sparked months of public outcry and incidents that made national headlines, including alleged cover-ups of the accusations, a temporary restraining order against Azaiez, the school board blocking parents from public meetings and arresting concerned citizens, and ongoing investigations by the Texas Education Agency and Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
Texas Scorecard has chronicled the saga in a recent special report and exclusive podcast series.
“I’m not here to judge [Azaiez] and say he should go to jail or not. That’s up to the police,” one citizen testified to the school board earlier this month. “But what we have is an issue that he needs to step aside for, and let us get back to doing the business that we’re here to do—which is educating kids, right?”
“Moving forward, I hope you [the school board] will learn from the scandal and realize that your community is watching your actions, and we are going to be holding you accountable,” added another district parent. “We deserve better than this.”
