LIZTON — Students and parents are expected to raise questions Tuesday night at the North West Hendricks School Board meeting.
The 7 p.m. meeting at Tri-West Middle School comes less than a week after the firing of an attendance secretary, David Pyatt, which led to a student walkout. The situation ties back to the case of Tyler Bruce, a teacher and football coach who is accused of sexual misconduct with a student.
Pyatt shared video to Call 6 Investigates Kara Kenney because he said he did not trust the district to preserve the footage. Pyatt said the video showed Bruce and the student alone in Bruce's office.
Pyatt was fired March 2, partially for sharing the footage with RTV6, which was stated in his termination letter. After Pyatt's termination, students and parents spoke out with some calling for the school board to resign.
"In school they teach you to always do the right thing, but it seems the message that they sent us is if you do the right thing you are going to get in trouble and get punished," Kent Pollard, a senior at Tri-West, said.
An action item on Tuesday night's agenda includes the approval of a policy which in part states the school corporation is committed to maintaining an environment free of harassment, and that any type of inappropriate behavior that may lead to forms of illegal harassment will not be tolerated.
TIMELINE:
- July 7, 2019: Anonymous tip leads to investigation of Tri-West football coach
- August 7, 2019: Hendricks County mother says school failed to protect her teen daughter from teacher, coach
- August 14, 2019: Hendricks County parents question school board over handling of sexual misconduct allegations
- August 19, 2019: School board defends decision to keep coach accused of sexual misconduct with student
- September 9, 2019: State files complaint against teaching license of coach accused of sexual misconduct with student
- September 25, 2019: School board decides Tri-West employees can return
- October 11, 2019: Outgoing North West Hendricks superintendent to receive $116K in compensation
- October 22, 2019: Hendricks County school system names interim superintendent
- October 30, 2019: School board admits "oversight" in allowing relative to vote on teacher
- November 27, 2019: Costs to school district mount as teacher criminal investigation surpasses six-month mark
- January 28, 2020: Tri-West High School teacher, coach arrested for child seduction, obstruction of justice
- January 29, 2020: Tri-West teacher deleted info from phone, removed sim card before giving it to cops, court docs say
- January 29, 2020: Ex-Tri West principal charged with failure to make a report in child seduction case
- January 31, 2020: Sexual harassment expert 'shocked, troubled' by Tri-West child seduction case
- February 11, 2020: Tri-West teacher facing charges not expected to be fired at school board meeting
- February 27, 2020: State seeks to suspend licenses of three Hendricks County educators
- March 4, 2020: Former Tri-West employee shares why he reported teacher’s alleged sexual misconduct
- March 5, 2020: Tri-West students walk out in protest over fired school employee