During the 2011-2012 school year
the Lockhart Independent
School District and school board
experienced a year unlike most after Lockhart
High School
In November 2011, the Lockhart
Police Department arrested Thomas Christopher Knox, 28 at the time, after
learning of his improper relationship with a 16-year-old female student. Knox
posted bail the same day of his arrest and would later be charged with sexual
assault of a minor in July of 2012, in which he posted bail as well. Months
later after Knox’s initial arrest in May of 2012, Lockhart High School
According to the Texas Penal Code,
an improper relationship between an educator and student is a second-degree
felony. The penal code states the teacher commits a felony if he or she “engages in sexual contact, sexual
intercourse, or deviate sexual intercourse with a person who is enrolled in a
public or private primary or secondary school at which the employee works.”
Almost two years after the improper
relationships occurred, LISD Assistant Superintendent Larry Ramirez said he
still trusts their hiring process despite of the fact the two incidences took
place in the same year.
“I’m not sure how any school can
prevent something like this from happening,” said Ramirez. “But the idea is to
make sure this never happens again, and we do the very best we can. I think our
process is solid, but people just do stupid things.”
Although not much has changed in
the hiring process, Ramirez said he and the rest of the hiring staff have
specifically emphasized talking to the interviewee’s last boss or principal as
being one of the most critical parts of the process.
“I don’t want to talk to their
supervisors down the road,” said Ramirez. “We talk to the most immediate
supervisor. There have been people in the past that haven’t wanted me to talk
to their most recent boss, and they didn’t get hired.”
“Even if it’s a custodial position,
we must make contact with whoever was that person’s last supervisor,” said
Monica Guillory, principal of Lockhart
High School
Guillory said LISD requires all
teachers to be fingerprinted and complete a nationwide background along with
the statewide search as well. Contact logs that students must sign for
tutorials have also been implemented and stressed more since the improper
student-educator incidences.
“I don’t want students going in
teacher’s rooms for tutorials without there being a record of it,” said
Guillory. “This includes after school, before school, during lunch and
conference periods.”
Guillory said since the incidences,
the high school staff are better educated and informed of having any kind of
contact with students that could be deemed inappropriate. The staff go through
two extensive rounds of human resource training at the beginning of the year
when they are hired and again before the school year starts, she said.
“Once they are hired they are
trained and then again, not just the new staff but also the returning staff,”
said Guillory. “We remind them to always be professional and to not make
comments or remarks that could be taken out of context or contact with them on
social media.”
Frances Winkler, a parent in the
community of Lockhart whose son now attends a charter school in Austin , said she was
shocked when she learned of the two student-educator incidences, but she
doesn’t blame the school for the improper relationships.
“It’s the responsibility of the
school to do the background checks and training but not their fault if a
teacher crosses the line,” said Winkler. “It doesn’t make sense, but it happens
and you deal with it. Maybe there should be a psychological test teachers have
to take as well.”
“I’m overly cautious because I
recognize these are people’s children that we have everyday, and it is our
responsibility to protect them,” said Guillory. “While we want to trust our
staff, our biggest loyalty is to the parents of the students who come to our
school everyday.”
