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Texas

Texas school district to hire firm to investigate sexual abuse accusations against bus driver

Parents of 2 students are suing Prosper Independent School District, seeking $5 million because they claim the district failed to protect their daughters

Pilar Arias By Pilar Arias Fox News
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A Texas school board voted to hire an independent firm to investigate sexual abuse allegations against a former bus driver. 

Prosper Independent School District trustees met in a closed session Tuesday morning. The board voted 5-2 to hire firm Thompson & Horton to look into accusations that 61-year-old Frank Paniagua repeatedly assaulted two young elementary school students.

The parents of the two students are suing the district, seeking $5 million because they claim the district failed to protect their daughters from the bus driver who reportedly abused them more than 100 times during last school year.

The lawsuit reportedly states the abuse started in September 2021 and took place every morning the girls got on the bus with Paniagua.

JOE BIDEN SHOULD VISIT THE SOUTHERN BORDER TO WITNESS MASS MIGRATION PROBLEMS, TEXAS RESIDENTS SAY

Former bus driver Frank Paniagua

Prosper Independent School District in Texas decided to hire an independent firm to investigate sexual abuse accusations against a former employee. (Collin County Jail)

Paniagua was arrested in May. He killed himself while in custody, FOX 4 News Dallas reports.

Tuesday's board vote only happened after it was revealed the first firm the district hired seemingly had a conflict of interest because it was already defending the district in the lawsuit over the abuse allegations.

"The district said it is unable to comment on pending litigation and is standing by its statement that it took swift action once the allegations were brought to their attention," FOX 4 reports. 

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Some parents told FOX 4 they would like the superintendent to step down during this third-party investigation because they were never informed of the allegations or the arrest.

"Why are we observing and protecting a pedophile and not my children?" one parent asked.

"We are all here demanding for justice for the Jane Does. You failed them!" another parent said outside Tuesday's meeting.