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DeSoto School District Superintendent Has Resigned

DeSoto ISD
The DeSoto ISD school board voted this week to suspend Superintendent David Harris.

DeSoto Independent School District Superintendent David Harris resigned this week.

Harris had been on leave since February when the board launched an investigation into his performance. On Monday, school board trustees met during a special meeting to accept Harris' resignation. 

Last month, trustees appointed Larry Watson as acting superintendent. Harris will stay on with the district as a special assistant to Watson until April 13. Watson previously worked as interim superintendent of the Cedar Hill school district and superintendent of the Crandall school district.  

District officials aren't commenting on Harris' resignation citing it as a personal matter. In a statement online, however, the district said it appreciated Harris' contribution and that it'll begin a search for a new superintendent.
 
In February, Board President Carl Sherman, Jr. posted a statement online that said the board’s decision was “in relation to concerns regarding the Superintendent’s evaluation, employment and duties.”

Sherman also said the board’s concerns were not connected to the “eventual hiring” of DeSoto High School’s football coach. In January, previous football coach Todd Peterman resigned. Several media outlets have reported that Peterman's departure and the future of the athletic program have raised questions.

The district had also drawn attention for a viral video of a fight between the varsity boys' basketball team and Duncanville ISD's team. That fight led to DeSoto's team forfeiting its last two basketball games and the suspension of several players.

Harris was hired in March 2012. He came from the Beaumont Independent School District and is also an ordained minister.

Statement from the school district

Stella M. Chávez is KERA’s immigration/demographics reporter/blogger. Her journalism roots run deep: She spent a decade and a half in newspapers – including seven years at The Dallas Morning News, where she covered education and won the Livingston Award for National Reporting, which is given annually to the best journalists across the country under age 35.