Pilot Point ISD superintendent, police chief placed on paid administrative leave

PILOT POINT, Texas - Two district leaders in Pilot Point have been placed on administrative leave after a complaint involving them, according to Pilot Point ISD's Board of Trustees.

Pilot Point ISD leaders put on leave

What we know:

On Wednesday, October 14, the Pilot Point Board of Trustees announced that the district's Superintendent and Police Chief had been placed on paid administrative leave.

A letter posted to Facebook states the move comes "out of an abundance of caution in response to a complaint involving the Pilot Point ISD Police Chief and the Superintendent."

Pilot Point ISD's website lists Dr. Shannon Fuller as the district's Superintendent, and Eric Dortch as the district's Police Chief.

Dee Carter has been named interim Police Chief for Pilot Point ISD, and Kevin Wilson has been named the district's acting Superintendent.

Dig deeper:

The Pilot Point ISD Board of Trustees released another statement later on Thursday, clarifying that Dortch had been placed on administrative leave due to personnel matters on Tuesday, October 13.

After Dortch was placed on leave, he submitted a complaint to the district, which led the district to put Fuller on leave on Wednesday, October 14.

The district says their investigation does not involve the safety of children.

What we don't know:

We don't know the nature of the complaint that caused Pilot Point ISD to put Fuller and Dortch on leave.

The district says they do not have findings related to the complaint, and are conducting an independent third-party investigation into the complaint.

What they're saying:

"It did nothing but raise questions and concerns," says Mary Willard, who lives in Pilot Point and has several children that attended schools in Pilot Point ISD.

Willard commented on Pilot Point ISD's Facebook page expressing concern about the lack of transparency on why Fuller and Dortch have been suspended.

"I think that in the community, we didn’t even know what’s going on so for them to release without any context or any information further than what they stated was very concerning and just left us all with questions — and I really don’t think any of the questions still have been answered."

Original Pilot Point ISD statement

Out of an abundance of caution in response to a complaint involving the Pilot Point IS Police Chief and the Superintendent, both individuals are on paid administrative leave. Administrative leave allows the investigation to be conducted with fidelity and protects the integrity of the process for everyone involved.

At this time, the Board does not have findings regarding the complaint and any action taken is solely to remain consistent with the procedure utilized for employees involved in a complaint. The Board retained the services of attorney Scott Cummings to conduct an independent third-party investigation of the concerns. Further information is not available at this time as it involves a confidential personnel matter.

On a temporary basis, the Board authorized legal counsel to negotiate with an identified individual to serve as the acting Superintendent and the Board will release the information once an agreement is reached. Dee Carter was identified as the acting Chief of Police while this matter is pending.

The Board is committed to ensuring this does not impact the operations of the District and its dedication to the continued success of its students, staff, and the community.

Thank you for your patience and continued support of our students and staff.

Denton CountyCrime and Public Safety