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Round Rock ISD police chief out after claiming superintendent, staff interfered with investigation

The facade of a building that says Round Rock Independent School District, Lillie Delgado Administration
Michael Minasi
/
KUT News
Round Rock ISD has named Lauren Griffith as interim police chief. Griffith, who's been with the district since 2020, served in the position two years ago.

The Round Rock Independent School District's chief of police is no longer in charge of the district's police department after accusing the superintendent and other staff of interfering with police operations and investigations.

It's unclear if Dennis Weiner resigned or was fired.

In a letter addressed to Round Rock ISD Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez on April 30, Weiner said he had "lost trust" and "confidence" in the superintendent's leadership.

The letter stated that Azaiez and other staff failed to properly notify police after an alleged sexual assault of a 5-year-old on a school bus last month.

"Because the police were not notified and informed immediately, the victim was subjected to additional trauma having to ride the bus to school on that Monday morning with the subject who assaulted her the prior Friday," the letter read.

Weiner also claimed that since joining Round Rock ISD in July 2022, he had "experienced numerous practices of non-reporting and delayed reporting of crimes."

Round Rock ISD denied the claims.

"Our commitment to the safety and well being of our students has never wavered," it said in a statement. "The content of Mr. Weiner’s letter inaccurately represents personnel matters and an incident involving minors. All incidents involving students have been addressed in accordance with applicable law and district policy."

Some of the district's school board members criticized two of their colleagues, Danielle Weston and Mary Bone, after the pair posted Weiner's letter to social media.

Board President Amber Feller Landrum, Vice President Tiffanie Harrison and secretary Alicia Markum said in a statement that they were "deeply disappointed ... that they chose to release an un-redacted letter that could potentially compromise the privacy of minor children and related investigations."

They said they were aware of Weiner's allegations and would "fully cooperate and support any resulting investigations."

Round Rock ISD has named Lauren Griffith as interim police chief. Griffith, who's been with the district since 2020, served in the position two years ago.

A district spokesperson declined to comment on whether Weiner is still an employee of the district.

Kailey Hunt is KUT's Williamson County reporter. Got a tip? Email her at khunt@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter @KaileyEHunt.
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