Former Tucson Unified School Superintendent H.T. Sanchez, has found himself once again embroiled in a scandal involving a coverup. Time this, Sanchez is accused of covering up a sex scandal involving a first grader in the Plainview Independent School District.
According to the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal, parents are angry with Sanchez after he allegedly lied about the fact that a first grader at Plainview South Elementary “performed a sexual act on another first grader while a teacher was in the room.”
Parents showed up to Sanchez’s office on May 1st demanding answers after one concerned community member posted on Facebook:
Heather Gonzales
To anyone who has a student at PISD: Your children are NOT safe! Sexual abuse is happening, and parents aren’t being notified! Specifically at South elementary. I highly urge you to sit down and talk with your child and find out if anything is happening to them! People have had a list of problems with school, and nothing is ever done! But it’s to the point now that they are not safe! A situation occurred at South elementary, in the first grade! With the teacher present! It’s time to band together and make sure something is done! Visits were made to the principal and nothing was done…and lies are being told from the superintendent! so now it’s time to take it to social media and the news! Sorry, you picked the wrong family! We protect our own. Bullying is one thing. But this is sexual assault of a minor! If you have a child in 1st grade at South, please message me! There are several kids involved and we believe they are unaware of all the details! We are forced to post this because the school refuses to give any info! Please share!
The incident that reportedly occurred on April 19, involved a young girl being forced under a table by a male student who then demanded she perform “an oral act.” A woman, identified as a great-aunt of the victim, said the teacher was in the classroom but claimed to have not heard the little girl’s screams for help because she had earphones on, “listening to soothing music.”
Gonzales has also started a petition to “Remove superintendent Sanchez from administration immediately:”
“Superintendent Sanchez has been a failure in his role as an administrator and has caused significant harm to the educational system. His actions have led to a decline in student performance, teacher morale, and community trust. We demand that he be removed from administration immediately.
He has allowed sexual assault among 6 year olds go unreported! He refused to speak to parents, and did not issue an apology. He did not step up when needed to address the situation.
Sanchez’s tenure has been marked by poor decision-making and lack of leadership. He has failed to address critical issues facing our schools, including inadequate funding, teacher shortages, and student achievement gaps. Instead of working collaboratively with stakeholders to find solutions, he has made unilateral decisions that have only exacerbated these problems.
Under Sanchez’s leadership, teachers report feeling unsupported and undervalued by the administration. Parents are frustrated with the lack of transparency and communication from district officials.
Sanchez’s mismanagement of funds is also concerning. He has overspent on unnecessary projects while neglecting basic needs such as textbooks and classroom supplies. This misallocation of resources is unacceptable when students are struggling academically.
It is time for a change in leadership at our schools. We call on the school board to take immediate action to remove Superintendent Sanchez from administration before any further damage can be done.
Parents and their supporters say the April 19 incident is not an isolated one.
One person, identified as Leah Garcia in a TikTok post, claimed the incident is not isolated:
@leah_txrealtor This is unacceptable ANYWHERE, but especially the classroom 💔 #fyp #plainviewtx #texaspublicschools #justice #accountability #saveourkids #speakup
“In a nutshell, there are several victims and there are several students involved in this. It wasn’t just like a one-time thing. This has been going on, and so again, this takes place in a classroom and when you hear the families’ story about what happened to their child it’s heartbreaking. It’s really hard to listen to them and they just want justice. They just feel lied to by the staff of Plainview Independent School District. They feel lied to by the teacher, by the principal, and by the superintendent. They feel like this has been handled in a very careless way, and while they do understand that it is under investigation, and there may be a little information that they can share with them, the fact that there are still so many parents that have not been notified yet notified yet is scary,” said Garcia.
Garcia goes on to explain that many children witnessed “it happen and they probably need counseling… Their parents need to know that this happened in the classroom that their child was in, and many parents do not know anything.”
Sanchez, Hughey and PISD Assistant Superintendent Yesenia Pardo provided a statement to the Avalanche-Journal advising that the incident was recorded by one of the students on a district electronic device.
“According to the district’s statement, the incident was uncovered the following day when the district’s IT department found a video recording of the incident taken by one of the students on a password-protected iPad. The district then reportedly contacted a DFPS investigator, who the district says interviewed the involved students before authorizing administration to contact their parents,” reported the Avalanche-Journal.
After being forced out of the Tucson Unified School District, Sanchez secured the job at Plainview Independent School District with help from his old friend, Mike Moses. According to Myplainview.com, the school board “engaged the law firm of Thompson & Horton LLC to conduct a search for its new superintendent. Helping direct that search was David Thompson, a partner in the firm, as well as Dr. Mike Moses, former Texas commissioner of education.”
In 2013, shortly after taking the Tucson job, Sanchez hired the Center for Reform of School Systems, owned by his good friend, Cathy Mincberg, to develop a “strategic plan.” Mincberg’s company was awarded a contract for $92,500. Moses was part of the package, offering financial advice to the failing district.
Mincberg worked with Sanchez in Texas on strategic planning before he came to Tucson.
Related article: Attorney General Investigation Of TUSD Consultant Hiring Called For
The ADI reported in 2013, that Sanchez was the sole finalist for the job in Tucson “after he advised the district that if there were other candidates under consideration, he would not take the job. Board members Adelita Grijlava, Kristel Foster, and Cam Juarez agreed to his terms. According to District insiders, the lone female candidate, who had comparable experience to Sanchez, was not provided an opportunity to meet with District stakeholders in a public forum.”
In February 2017, Sanchez was forced out of the Tucson Unified School District. In return for his resignation, Sanchez was paid $200,000 to leave.
At the time of his resignation, the ADI reported:
Sanchez is alleged to have violated his contract when he reportedly directed principals not to follow the Board approved policy: Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Sanchez’s contract specifically requires him to follow Governing Board policies.
Sanchez allowed Pueblo High Principal Augie Romero to violate State law when Romero changed student’s grades without their teacher’s consent.
Sanchez, who is not a certified educator by the Arizona State Board of Education, is required under the terms of his contract to follow the laws and regulations of the State of Arizona.
Sanchez was contacted on at least two occasions by authorities for failing to report assaults on employees or police as required by Arizona law.
Related articles:
Former TUSD Superintendent Sanchez Lone Finalist For Texas Spot