LORENA, Texas — State Board of Education (SBOE) Member Evelyn Brooks is speaking to 6 News after looking into Lorena Independent School District and the civil lawsuit it faces for a couple of weeks.
Brooks of District 14 got involved to look into what she could at the state level and how to prevent something like the sexual abuse that allegedly happened for a year under the supervision of a principal.
"I think this is headed in the right direction and that is transparency and accountability," Brooks told 6 News over the phone.
Brooks is feeling more confident in what will be revealed in the civil lawsuit against Lorena ISD, which she described as telling in terms of timeline and what was told to Lorena Primary School Principal April Jewell during the allegations of abuse.
"In this situation there are no winners because families are hurting and it has impacted the lives of many," Brooks added.
The lawsuit alleges the district and Jewell of wrongdoing in connection to a sexual abuse case.
To help understand the situation unfolding at Lorena ISD, Brooks requested the district to provide information. It led Brooks to receive a 21-page letter from District Superintendent Joe Kucera that includes a timeline, a section where the district intends to separate claims from facts and details on how the district reportedly did training and took other steps to ensure safety for students. Kucera also made the letter public.
"I was very pleased that the timeline was sent out and more information to the public," Brooks said. "I was satisfied with the fact that they saw an opportunity to make changes in order to avoid this from ever happening again."
Brooks is still hoping for more communication including addressing parents' requests of Jewell being reassigned or put on leave.
"That's not an unreasonable request and if it's unreasonable with the ISD from their perspective, there should be some communications with citizens about that decision," Brooks added.
Jewell is appealing a recent decision to deny her qualified immunity and most recently requested an oral argument.
6 News asked Brooks about qualified immunity.
"I don't think it's fair for us as leaders to hide behind the shield," Brooks said.
The SBOE member is trusting in the fact that the investigation will run its course. She says she will continue to keep following this case and even plans on attending the next Lorena ISD school board meeting on August 26.
"We are here to ensure that our students are safe," Brooks added. "We're here to ensure that this does not happen again. We're here to ensure that citizens voices are heard. We're here to ensure that the ISD is just working cooperatively with the community until 2025 comes around when the results of this investigation come out."
In the last week, Lorena ISD and the plaintiff, Jane Doe, jointly filed a motion for entry of confidentiality and protective order. If the judge signs off on it, some items in the civil lawsuit won't be accessible by the public.