LA PRYOR, Texas – The superintendent of La Pryor ISD has been placed on leave after allegedly assaulting a six-year-old girl, according to an incident report.
Helena Diaz, the mother of the six-year-old, said she has pulled her daughter out of the school since the district launched its investigation into Superintendent William Averalo.
According to Diaz, on Jan. 31, her daughter left her classroom because she wanted ice cream and the teacher said they didn’t have any.
The child went into the hallway, where another teacher walked out to meet her.
According to the incident report, the superintendent then came and grabbed the child by the arm and dragged her roughly 30 feet into a classroom.
>> La Pryor ISD superintendent placed on paid leave amid undisclosed investigation, district says
He then “locked himself in the classroom with the child with no other supervision,” the report says.
“It was like about an hour had passed from when they entered and … when he actually left the room with her,” Diaz said. “One of the witnesses that was there did state that they could hear her screaming for help.”
The incident report also says there were “other school employees that witnessed the incident occur, but they stated that they felt helpless at the moment to assist the child as their boss was dragging her through the hallway.”
After the incident, Diaz said her daughter had scratches on her back and abdomen as well as indentations on her arm.
“I asked her what happened, and she just got quiet,” Diaz said.
Diaz said the school and district did not immediately notify her of what had happened but called asking why her daughter wasn’t in school. She said she didn’t find out about the Jan. 31 incident until a social worker called her.
Diaz said her daughter sees a therapist and has difficulties handling her emotions, which is likely why she left the classroom.
Diaz said she can’t talk to her daughter about what happened.
“I’m not allowed to talk to her about it because they’re still going to do the forensic interview with her on Thursday,” she said. “So we’re not allowed to question her and ask her about any situation.”
The investigation is ongoing. A letter from the district’s Threat Assessment Team states Arevalo is not allowed near Diaz’s child in the meantime.
“Her therapist is aware, and they’re suggesting that once we do the forensic interview that we get a trauma therapist to start working with her in coping and dealing with what happened,” Diaz said.
KSAT has requested surveillance video of the incident but has not received a response as of Wednesday night.
In a statement last week, La Pryor ISD’s Board of Trustees said Arevalo had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.
The statement did not specify the reason for the investigation.
La Pryor ISD sent KSAT the following statement on Wednesday:
“On Saturday morning February 8, 2025 the La Pryor Independent school district provided an official statement indicating that the Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Friday February 7, 2025. There Is no additional information that can be provided to that statement at this time. The statement issued on Saturday remains the official statement for the district.
“Furthermore: The district cannot comment on personnel matters that are under investigation, state and federal laws prevent the district from disclosing any student information, the LPISD is dedicated to student and staff safety. We really don’t have the ability to share any additional information at this time.”
Read also:
