Staff Report
KYLE — The Lehman High School baseball program will move forward with its season, following Hays CISD’s decision to suspend 10 students and place one staff member on paid administrative leave due to an ongoing investigation conducted by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
It was announced Thursday, April 9, that district and campus administration, along with HCSO, have been investigating reports of a “potentially serious” pattern of bullying involving some varsity and junior varsity members of the baseball program. This first came from parents who brought their concerns to campus administration and the school resource officer Tuesday, April 7.
A key factor in the investigation is the existence of a video of an incident at LHS, which shows “clear violations of expected student behavior and possibly violations of the law,” according to chief communication officer Tim Savoy.
Campus and district leadership met with LHS baseball parents in the morning of Friday, April 10, regarding the “current criminal investigation into allegations of serious bullying” by some members of the school’s baseball team. According to Savoy, the initial decision was that the program would forfeit the remaining games of the season, in part due to concern that there might not be enough players not implicated in the investigation to make both the varsity and junior varsity (JV) teams.
However, after further consideration and listening to the parents’ concerns, the district has determined that the baseball season should continue with players who are not implicated.
“We want parents to know that we hear them and agree that students not implicated in any potential wrongdoing should not be penalized when we can help it. Because we have identified enough players not implicated to keep the baseball teams in business, we are glad to be able to do it,” said Savoy. “As the investigation unfolded yesterday (Thursday), we were making decisions based on the best information we had at the time; but we’re not immovable, especially when parents present us with more to consider.”
The scheduled games for Friday, April 10, have already been cancelled and will remain so, Savoy stated that the remaining four games during the next couple of weeks will continue with at least a varsity team and a JV team, if there are enough players.
“Nothing should diminish the seriousness of the behavior and allegations associated with the bullying investigation. It’s horrible and those responsible will pay a significant price,” said Savoy. “However, we must also recognize that the actions of some students, even if it’s a larger-than-normal group, shouldn’t define all students. Lehman High School is an amazing campus and a point-of-pride for the district, as are the many good student athletes who work to bring honor to themselves, their school and the community.”
The LHS students remain suspended, along with the one employee who is on paid administration, while the law enforcement investigation continues.
