A Central Texas high school student is claiming that boys at her school are masturbating “all over the place” on campus, unchecked by administrators.
The girl made a number of claims at a meeting of Leander Independent School District’s (LISD) Board of Trustees last Thursday, which The Dallas Express has been unable to substantiate. She said she attends Glenn High School.
“Are you aware that there are boys in class and in hallways masturbating?” the girl asked the board members. “What is the administration going to do about it?”
She went on to claim that multiple female students have reported this to district employees but that “nothing has been done to stop it.”
“Students are being kept from their learning because these boys cannot control themselves. Girls are having to go home because of how traumatizing it is. School is not a place boys should be masturbating,” she said at the meeting.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, parental concerns over the sexualization of students have grown in recent years in Texas. This has resulted in sometimes contentious school board meetings that led to policy changes regarding sex education and library book screening.
Christin Bentley, sub-committee chair of the Texas Republican Party’s “Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids” effort and professional special education advocate, spoke with The Dallas Express about some of the library offerings at LISD.
She claimed that one title available at Leander High School, Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human, describes online porn as a “sugary treat” and advises teenagers to use sex toys.
“What kind of behavior do we expect out of young students when we cross their sexual boundaries? We can expect them to cross sexual boundaries, too,” she said.
While the title does not appear on the district’s public-facing library catalog, a back-end search through the education material company Follett’s school library page suggests that one copy of the book is currently available.
Bentley has been working on the issue for some years, claiming, “There is not one school district in the state of Texas that doesn’t have sexually explicit books.”
That may be true at the Dallas Independent School District (DISD), which has drawn criticism over allegedly obscene materials being kept on library shelves, despite pleas from concerned parents and community members, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
The Dallas Express was not able to unearth any allegations of public masturbation by boys on DISD campuses, such as are being made at LISD.
“When we provide such … materials to students, we can certainly expect a rise in things like masturbating in the hallways,” Bentley told The Dallas Express, speaking about sexually-explicit library materials.
The Dallas Express reached out to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a civil rights organization, for comment on the troubling trend reported at LISD and whether the group was willing to weigh in on the question of the connection between certain materials and student misbehavior.
No response was forthcoming by press time.
The girl concluded her remarks at Thursday’s board meeting with a plea to LISD’s Board of Trustees:
“If these boys are getting away with this in classrooms, what will they do with these girls behind closed doors or in the bathroom? If we let them get away with this now, they will go further, and our female students will be unprotected because no one is standing up for them. What are you going to do to make sure all women are safe and protected in schools?”
The Dallas Express reached out to LISD for comment. The district’s chief communications officer responded:
“Thank you for your request for more information about an incident reported via citizen comments during [Thursday’s] Leander ISD Board of Trustees meeting. We consider safety and security a top priority for our students and staff. Our Security department immediately contacted campus staff and requested more details.
“[W]e determined administrators were promptly made aware and had already taken appropriate steps to address an isolated event. We concluded there is no threat to students, nor was there ever. Our administration and student support team take incidents of this nature very seriously, investigating all accusations and working with law enforcement when appropriate.”
Is this article for real?
I understand about the sexually explicit books at schools based on what I know about the current sorry state of schools in Texas, but I have a hard time believing the physical activity of the boys being tolerated in the halls and classrooms.
I guess I’m too old fashioned.
I’m with ya.
My, how Leander ISD has changed since I graduated in 1979! Yes, I am that old, and Leander High was the only high school in the district then. It was a 3A hillbilly high school then. I hope this is dealt with very seriously.
I visited Leander PTA in 1972 when a Highway Patrolman was giving a demonstration on drugs. He had a kilo of weed.
I was doing a college class in Georgetown and would ride with the Texas Highway Patrol for the class assignment. Leander was so small back then.
An aside: a kilo (2.2 pounds) of pot in that era cost around $100 out of Austin.
This is what happens when parents fail to properly raise and supervise their children and porn is available on every kid’s phone. And these parents continue to breed.
Alot of the blacks will say white is racist. I don’t care what color you are but when you act like a monkey how can people want to be around you. They are also hurting the black young men who are trying to do the right thing.
What the heck is wrong with the school board that multiple girls have to complain about boys masturbating in class and the hallways?! Of course this is traumatizing to young girls!! With book titles such as Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human, describes online porn as a “sugary treat” and advises teenagers to use sex toys. How obscene is this?!
The first investigation needs to be against the teachers and administrators that this was reported to and who failed to take any action as required by law. These teachers and admin need to be charged with violation of state law as they have a DUTY to assure the safety and well-being of all the students and to report crimes, assaults, and unwanted sexual behavior toward and around others. Having a few prosecuted and or terminated would be a good start.
The second investigation needs to be to gather witnesses and turn over all information to the public prosecutor for criminal charges. wing under 18 does not mean a free pass, it means a second chance. However if nothing happens when kids do immoral and unlawful acts, then they will only be worse as adults.
The parents need to know in order to begin to be parents!
I advise the “journalists” of this fish wrap to search out the term “yellow journalism.”
I wonder about the veracity of the claims. But I was having sex in high school behind the stage and in other school locations in 1969! It has nothing to do with sex ed. The poor boys can find receptive girls.
I live in Leander, 15 minutes from Glenn High School that is written about in this article. I can’t tell you how happy I am to read an article like this. There’s a virtually a news blackout in the greater Austin area about anything like this and actually the number of shocking things happening in public schools locally is astounding. For me too, at first I just didn’t believe it. But as I got more involved and got to know teachers in Leander schools and parents of young people there, it was just appalling for me.
So I just want to deeply, sincerely thank the Dallas Express editorial board for running this article. There is so much more. Are you guys aware of the savage beating that a 19 year old woman student at Glenn High School gave a 16 year old girl student? This happened in the school about 2 weeks ago and the whole event was captured on video. But as far as anyone knows, nothing whatsoever came of it. Swept under the rug again by the Leander school board.
Really, please, keep reporting events here. No one else is.
Sincerely,
Mark McMillion, grandparent
The MAIN reason we moved our kids out of the district. LISD has really gotten out of hand and fast! The individuals whether it be in the school, the school board and/or individuals in the community who dismiss this as nothing of importance? Shame on you for turning a blind eye and sacrificing these kids to this BS. Kind words? Let’s get real, it’s not the verbiage that is the problem. It’s the negative actions and the inactions of trusted adults to handle this mess. God help us.