Is relying upon a single police report sufficient to avoid liability?
Today's article concerns a local school district in the Houston, Texas area, Klein ISD. There are reports on this topic all over the internet, from local sources (here, here and here) all the way to the New York Post.
Alleged Facts
A cosmetology teacher (Kedria Grigsby) has been accused of recruiting troubled (often runaway) teenagers at her school to a prostitution enterprise run by her son, Roger Magee. She and her son have now been arrested and charged in connection with the allegations.
Terrible, right? Truly awful. But it might be worse than that.
It turns out that a police report was made over a year ago to law enforcement about this teacher. The allegations are not known at this time, but at least one community activist (Quanell X) declared that:
This teacher, Ms. Grigsby, was allowed to remain on this campus after it was brought to school administrators' attention that this was taking place in February of 2023 it has been reported that they were allegations of serious misconduct.
Activists said they have documents that prove Klein ISD knew about Grigsby's alleged misconduct. These are allegations, regardless of how they are discussed here or elsewhere. Evidence is needed to further assess this claim. Still, most people don't say that they have evidence like this if they do not have it. So I am strongly inclined to believe this claim.
Nevertheless, what is uncontroverted is that the school was made aware of the police report by the person making the report.
The School District's Response
Today, the school district superintendent and school police department chief released a joint statement via email to the school district parents that reads in part:
We have heard concerns that some in our community are spreading misinformation that Klein ISD knew that Kedria Grigsby was committing these heinous crimes. This is completely false.
The facts in this ongoing investigation are the following:
- In February 2023, an individual notified human resources that they had a report in Harris County related to Kedria Grigsby.
- Upon receiving this information, and as part of our immediate investigation into the allegation, our Klein ISD Police Department contacted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with the case number provided to us by the individual. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported back to us that Kedria Grigsby was not a suspect.
- The district received no other allegations or reports of criminal activities related to Kedria Grigsby until this Monday, April 8, 2024, when the Harris County Sheriff's Department contacted our police department regarding charges and a pending arrest.
- That same day, the Klein Police Department immediately apprehended Kedria Grigsby and assisted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with her arrest.
Every potential employee must pass multiple background checks before being hired. We also work with the Texas Department of Public Safety and law enforcement agencies on alerts any time a district employee is arrested or charged with a crime, and we continually monitor educators' certifications for actions taken by the Texas Education Agency. When allegations are made regarding an individual, we fully investigate, working with outside legal counsel and law enforcement to thoroughly determine the facts and evidence of the allegations. Kedria Grigsby continued to have a clear background check and clear criminal record until she was arrested on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Wait, WHAT???
So, taking the facts in the best possible light as told by the school district:
- The school received an allegation about serious misconduct.
- An ISD police officer called the local police.
- The officer was told that the subject of the police report was "not a suspect."
Then the school, apparently, shrugged its shoulders and went on as if everything was normal, including renewing the teacher's contract.
WHAT????????????????????
They didn't perform an internal or external investigation???? Probably not. Note the words: "Upon receiving this information, and as part of our immediate investigation into the allegation..." If there was an "immediate investigation" then they would detail what else that they did. It sounds like they did nothing. Making a phone call to police, in my view, does not an investigation make.
Also, is the bar for teaching at high school after receiving accusations of serious misconduct "not a suspect????" If this teacher would have been a man, would that have made a difference? Or what if the allegation was an inappropriate relationship between teacher and student? Is the bar then "not a suspect?" As you can see, this gets ridiculous quickly.
The School District is Likely going to get ROCKED
Come on! My guess is that these victims - already coming from a vulnerable population - are going to lawyer up. And who has the deepest pockets in this situation? I'll give you three guesses, but you'll only need one: the school district. I feel confident that the school district will be getting sued shortly. And they will settle out of court, because they will not want a jury anywhere near teen runaways exploited by a teacher who the school had knowledge of allegations against from a year prior. Nope. The school district will pay through the nose for its idiocy. As it should.
Takeaways
The lesson, as always, is not to ignore things or to sweep them under the rug. Mere allegations are sometimes enough to justify investigations. And, unsurprisingly, I am a big proponent of independent/outside investigations.
Teachers have a difficult time enough dealing with students, parents, and their own administrators. And here in Texas, they have to deal with jackass politicians trying to meddle with schools in order to score political points. However, allegations like this - especially regarding students - should be treated delicately, with respect, and never ignored. They should be investigated. This school district has its own police force. They couldn't have conducted an investigation? Or are just they playing at being law enforcement?
This is a major failure on the part of the school district. Full stop. Their full-throated denials & explanations are only making things worse.
Don't make the mistake that these folks are making. When there are serious allegations in your business, have them properly investigated. Don't cross your fingers and pray that they go away. Doing so might work, but often does not. And when it does not it will make you wish that you had never employed the strategy.
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