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Arkansas Times' Week in Review Podcast
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Lindsey Millar, Max Brantley and others from the Arkansas Times talk about the latest in Arkansas politics and culture.
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Reporter’s notebook: Tough love and public schools
4w agoTap to summarizeFor that most important of lessons — that life is not fair — look no further than the plight of public schools. This week was a rocky one for the Little Rock School District, an institution I’ve loved since I entrusted my babies to them at Rockefeller Early Childhood Center. I still love LRSD now that those boys have grown into strapping high schoolers, one at Central and the other at Parkview. There’s always lots of noise from pearlclutchers about failing public schools and chaotic learning environments and yada yada. The background noise doesn’t shake my faith in the LRSD family that potty trained my babies, helped identify and manage learning challenges, saw my boys through the COVID-19 pandemic, taught them how to play football and saxophone, and generally helped raise up these delightful almost-adults who are smart and promising and good citizens. But nobody’s perfect. Over the past five days, there’ve been a couple of gun scares and a flap about potential Title IX violations at Central. At Parkview, it’s come to light that a young volleyball coach was disciplined for some brazen boundary crossings with students. That coach, Kendahl Davenport, is the daughter of LRSD Assistant Superintendent Shana Loring, who oversees high schools in the district. On Thursday evening, the district released documentation of the investigation by trained security team members. They found no evidence of the alleged sexual impropriety some Parkview students had been gossiping about, but they did find some pretty ugly infractions that make the school and district administration look pretty bad. Being in a locked office with a male student is not a good idea for a female educator. Posting pictures of your favorite students to a private Instagram account is not a good idea. Writing passes to get kids out of class so they can come hang out with you in the gym? Very stupid. The district released the investigation without a lot of huff, which is to their credit. You can read it here. Davenport got a three-day suspension for her infractions, prompting some understandable questions about whether there was some special treatment here, both in Davenport’s hiring as a fresh-out-of-college newbie with no teacher certification in 2023, and in the seemingly slap-on-the-wrist consequences for wildly unprofessional behavior. Is it awkward for the Parkview principal to supervise the daughter of his boss? Of course it is. There’s no nepotism policy on the planet that’s strong enough to render this situation foolproof. Davenport is pulling down more than $74K a year for a job that has her teaching one health class, overseeing a peer mentor program and otherwise filling her days with coaching stuff and planning periods. That may be common for high school coaches, but teachers with master’s degrees and decades of experience who are teaching six or seven courses are making less. The Parkview volleyball coach who preceded Davenport was making about $86,000, but had decades of classroom experience and was putting in a full day of geometry instruction before she clocked in for coaching duties. None of this is a good look for a district that’s laying off staff and cutting programs, and that’s putting it mildly. So, yeah. This week called for some tough love and a stiff spine as the Arkansas Times newsroom rifled through a police report, anonymous tips and FOI responses to try to answer questions about why the internet was losing its mind over the Parkview volleyball coach. The heartbreaking thing about accountability is that it’s not a requirement for everybody. Had accusations like the ones surrounding Davenport been made at a private school, you and I would never know a thing about it. We function in a system that helps even private schools that accept millions in public money hide behind their tall gates, acting as if they’re beyond reproach, because who can prove otherwise? It’s tough to feel good at the end of a work week spent nagging, pestering and generally terrorizing good people doing the lord’s work, all so that I could put together some news stories that I think we can all agree that we hate. I sure hate it! I hate it so much that I couldn’t sleep last night. That actually worked out fine, because my high school senior musician is a member of Director Anthony Wyrick‘s unbeatable Parkview Nation and the school’s jazz ensemble. As such, he required a 1:15 a.m. pick-up when their school bus rolled back into town after a gig in Bentonville. Watching the rumpled teen musicians stumble out into the early morning with their horns and drums, after a quick trek to show Northwest Arkansas how it’s done, was among the innumerable proud moments for this public school mom who thinks our system of education for every child, all together, is the absolute best thing this country has to offer. And that’s why we have to do it. As icky as it all is, the situation at Parkview forces some tough questions that we have to address head on. Let the sunshine in to disinfect anything that needs disinfecting, and then we can go forward. Superintendent Jermall Wright sent district staff a message Friday morning that speaks well of his humanity and leadership under friendly fire. He acknowledged the bad press, urged teachers to stay focused during this season of testing and spring fever, and encouraged them to spread some positivity. “The story of LRSD is not defined by a single week,” he wrote. Thank goodness for that. TGIF.
Transcribe →UPDATED: Parkview volleyball coach disciplined after allegations of inappropriate relationships
4w agoTap to summarizeEditor’s note: This post has been updated significantly to include details about the coach’s violations, the investigation and disciplinary actions. New information is added at the top of the story. Documents from the Little Rock School District’s investigation into allegations that Parkview volleyball Coach Kendahl Davenport, 25, was having inappropriate relationships with students reveal she was disciplined with a three-day suspension without pay. Documents released by the district Thursday evening show that the district investigation found no evidence of sexual contact between the coach and students, as has been rumored at the school. But Davenport was found to be in violation of multiple district policies for allowing students to skip class to hang out in her office, writing hall passes to get students out of other classes or to help them cover for having skipped classes, being in her office with a male student with the door locked, and being seen exiting her car with that same male student. Davenport was also found to be in violation of the district’s social media policy for creating a private Instagram account to which she gave access to select students, and where she posted photos of students without their authorization. The recommendation to suspend Davenport for three days came from Parkview Principal Nickolous Anderson, and was agreed to by Superintendent Jermall Wright. You can read their letter informing Davenport of their findings here. Davenport is not appealing, and opted to have her unpaid suspension coincide with her paid leave, March 11 through April 8, while the investigation was underway. That means she will not miss any more work, but will be docked three days’ pay. Among the documents provided by the district is an email in which Davenport states she did not engage in inappropriate relationships with students. “I want to state clearly that I have never engaged in any inappropriate behavior or involvement with students. I take my roles as an educator and coach very seriously. I remain committed to providing a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment for all students,” Davenport wrote in an email to Principal Anderson on March 13, shortly after Little Rock Police took a report that Davenport was rumored to be in an inappropriate relationship with a 19-year-old male student. Included in investigation documents provided by the district was one example of a photo from Davenport’s Instagram account, which depicts two male Parkview students. The caption is … not professional. This photo from Parkview volleyball Coach Kendall Davenport’s private Instagram account allegedly shows two male students in her office. Credit: Courtesy of LRSD 5:01 p.m. The volleyball coach at Parkview High who was investigated over allegations of an inappropriate relationship with one or more students has been disciplined for a “serious lapse in professional judgment,” according to a Thursday afternoon statement from Superintendent Jermall Wright. Wright sent the statement via text to Parkview parents. The Arkansas Times submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for records related to the district’s investigation on Monday, but the request has not yet been fulfilled. The Times reported Monday about rumors of an inappropriate relationship between volleyball Coach Kendahl Davenport and a student athlete. That story was based on a <a ...
Transcribe →LRSD superintendent addresses rumored educator-student relationship at Parkview
4w agoTap to summarizeLittle Rock School District Superintendent Jermall Wright is in a tough spot this week. As rumors persist about an alleged inappropriate educator-student relationship involving a volleyball coach at Parkview High School, Wright said he and other school district employees are limited in what they can say. Wright acknowledged the story is getting a lot of unflattering attention, and said he has been following the conversation closely. “These matters are not just glossed over. I take these things very, very seriously,” he said. The public knows few solid facts, beyond that a report was filed with the Little Rock Police Department on March 11 about rumors spreading at Parkview that volleyball Coach Kendahl Davenport, 25, was in an inappropriate relationship with a male student athlete. The district released a statement to parents via text message on Monday acknowledging the issue, and saying they had concluded their investigation. In the message, the district indicated the staff member in question, who was not named in their statement, was alleged to have been involved with two students. The employee had been placed on leave during an investigation, but had since been cleared to return to work. Parkview parents received this text message Monday afternoon. Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, Little Rock Police spokesman Mark Edwards said he did not know if their investigation into the Parkview allegations is ongoing or completed, and would report back. The Arkansas Department of Education declined to say whether they had even received reports about the allegations. “ADE can not confirm or deny if there is an open ethics investigation against an educator unless there has been a public hearing before the State Board of Education on the matter,” education department attorney Caitlynn Cochran said. That’s not much to go on, and the information vacuum has made room for lots of social media speculation. Much of that conjecture centers on Davenport’s family connections, and whether they played a role in how allegations against her were handled. Davenport is the daughter of LRSD Assistant Superintendent Shana Loring, who oversees high schools in the district. Loring’s sister, Jocelyn Spriggs-Gordon, also works in a district high school, at Little Rock Southwest. In a phone interview Wednesday, Wright said that Davenport’s mother played no role whatsoever in the district’s investigation. That was handled by trained members of the school’s security team, who interviewed both the subjects of the allegations and the people who reported the allegations. Family ties among staff members are not uncommon in large institutions like the Little Rock School District, but policies are in place to prevent them from becoming an issue, Wright said. “Family members can’t supervise or directly report to another family member. We make sure those types of things don’t happen in our school district,” he said. Regarding investigations into allegations like the ones regarding Davenport, Wright said reports on investigators’ findings aren’t open for all to see. Educators found to be in violation of district policy can face consequences ranging from temporary suspensions to termination. A firing would become public record, but anything short of that would not, Wright said. “I can’t comment on what actions we did take. We make a determination and move on,” Wright said. “And that’s what happened in this case.” So was there any evidence of anything untoward, or has this all been a tempest in a teapot? Wright said he cannot address that head-on. “Any action that we take is protected, so we can’t discuss or disclose any actions we take or don’t take,” he said. Wright issued this statement Wednesday in hopes of answering lingering questions: “The Little Rock School District is aware of concerns and commentary circulating on social media regarding a recent personnel matter and questions about district leadership’s involvement. Because this is a personnel matter, we are limited in what we can share publicly. However, it is important to clarify how the District operates to ensure integrity and fairness in all situations. All investigations of this nature are conducted by trained professionals within the District’s Safety and Security Department, in accordance with established protocols and, when appropriate, in coordination with external agencies. District administrators, including those who supervise schools, do not direct, influence, or participate in these investigations. No individual, regardless of position, is permitted to influence investigative outcomes or personnel decisions involving family members, and we enforce that standard consistently. Additionally, LRSD maintains clear safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest in both personnel decisions and supervision. Employees do not supervise, evaluate, or have direct authority over family members. Hiring decisions are made through established processes that prioritize the needs of students and schools, including specific qualifications required to serve those communities. Like many large organizations, LRSD employs individuals who may have family members also working within the District. That alone is not unusual. What matters, and what we strictly enforce, are the structures that ensure decisions are made appropriately, ethically, and without undue influence. We understand that situations like this can generate concern. We also ask our community to be mindful that speculation and the spread of unverified information can cause real harm to real students, staff, and families. Our commitment remains the same: to uphold the safety of our schools, follow established processes with integrity, and serve our students and community with transparency to the extent the law allows.”
Transcribe →Photojournalist William ‘Pat’ Patterson, veteran of the Little Rock newspaper war, has died
Mar 10Tap to summarizeWilliam L. “Pat” Patterson, a photojournalist and veteran of Little Rock’s legendary newspaper wars, has died. He was 88. Patterson got into the newspaper business in 1952, while still in junior high in El Dorado, and came to work at the Arkansas Gazette in 1968, after a stint at a paper in Nebraska. He was at the Gazette until it closed in 1989, the loser in an epic battle with the Arkansas Democrat. Anyone older than 40 who’s worked in Little Rock media has been regaled with the lore of these glory days, when Little Rock journalists from multiple outlets competed to put out the news best and first to a citizenry clamoring to be well-informed. Any Little Rock journalist older than 60 probably has some glamorous war stories of their own. Arkansas Times editor emeritus Max Brantley worked with Patterson at the Gazette, and remembers Patterson as a consummate professional. “He was a pro. That’s mostly what I remember,” Brantley wrote. “And an enduring piece of his general advice for shutter speed and aperture opening on the fly in the days before digital photography: ‘60 at 5.6.’” More vintage remembrances come from historian and journalist Ernie Dumas. He and Patterson go way back, all the way to their high school days in El Dorado. Patterson and Dumas were in college together, too, and got up to some antics: I went to Henderson State Teachers College, where I was editor of the little weekly paper, The Oracle. Pat was my photographer. He loved chemistry, in high school and college. As my photographer he had a darkroom in McElhannon Hall, the science building. He developed a formula for mixing some chemicals into a white paste, which would dry after a few hours and if it encountered friction after hardening it would explode. But the main ingredient was a chemical that was healing. Maybe iodine; I forget. Well, Pat would mix the compound in his darkroom in the science building and when there was no one around he would put little wads of the stuff in the corners around the building. Then during the night there would be loud BOOMs! heard all over the campus. It was a big mystery. Pat and I were the only ones who knew what was happening. It was all fun and games, Dumas reported, until someone got (very mildly) hurt: The door to my dorm room was open and in walked a kid from Murfreesboro. … He had a big bandage on his right hand. “What happened to your hand?” I asked. “I don’t know,” he said. “I was in the men’s room in McElhannon and I was peeing. I looked on the pipe that ran above the urinal and there was a piece of chalk there. I picked it up and struck it on the wall to see if it left a chalk mark. And, and, and . . . IT EXPLODED!” But it seemed to be healing pretty fast, he said. When he left I told Pat not to make any more bombs. Someone could really get hurt. Patterson and Dumas teamed up again at the Gazette, where they rode out the newspaper war together. “He took a lot of great shots around the newsroom the day Hussman bought the Gazette and fired us all, Oct. 19, 1991,” Dumas said. In 2001, Patterson gave an interview about his journalism career for the Arkansas Center for Oral and Visual History at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. You can read the transcription of that interview below: Pat Patterson interviewDownload
Transcribe →Special election offers Arkansas Democrats hope after years of struggles and setbacks
Mar 9Tap to summarizeThe Arkansas Democrats’ flip of a Republican-held state House race in a special election last week didn’t change or come close to threatening the predominantly GOP tilt of the Legislature. But shortly after the results rolled in, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin nonetheless hailed the victory in Trump territory. “This big win is yet another warning sign to Republicans across the country, and a new reality is now sinking in: no Republican seat is safe,” Martin said. Martin’s comments about the 20-point win, in a district that swung 17 points from 2024, show how hopeful Democrats are about making inroads in a state where Republicans have been firmly in control for well over a decade. They’re also a hopeful sign for state Democrats frustrated by Arkansas being written off as unwinnable for the party. “Oftentimes the national press and the national sentiment is that maybe [Democrats losing] is a foregone conclusion, but I think we’ve proven that’s not the case,” said Marcus Jones, chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. Shortly after Rep.-elect Alex Holladay’s win, Jones said he made a point of sending Martin a selfie with him. Alex Holladay (center), a Democrat and newly-elected representative of House District 70, sits alongside veteran Republican lawmaker Rep. Jim Wooten (left) during a legislative meeting on March 4, 2026 in Little Rock. (Photo by Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Democrats still face tremendous obstacles in Arkansas, where Republicans hold a majority in the Legislature, every statewide partisan office and every seat in the federal delegation. The GOP has also dwarfed the party in fundraising in every major race. But party leaders and observers say Holladay’s win offers some lessons in a midterm election year that poses challenges elsewhere for Republicans. “We’re back and breathing air, making some good moves, picking up some strategic gains and showing ourselves, as much as anybody, how we can do it in the future,” said Grant Tennille, a former state party chairman who is now managing Hallie Shoffner’s campaign against Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton. How Arkansas got here The top contests for Democrats this year are efforts to unseat two of the biggest players in the Republican Party’s dominance in state politics. U.S. Rep. French Hill was first elected in 2014, the year Republicans expanded their legislative majority and swept all of the statewide and federal offices on the ballot. GOP lawmakers redrew state and federal legislative districts in 2021, giving Democrats disadvantages in both. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton shakes hands with supporters at Republican Party headquarters in downtown Little Rock Tuesday evening after being declared winner of his party’s primary. (Photo by John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate) Cotton unseated two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in 2014, in one of the most closely watched and expensive U.S. Senate races that year. Cotton easily won reelection without a Democratic opponent in 2020. Shoffner decided to challenge Cotton last year when tariffs forced her family out of the farming business after six generations. She has repeatedly pitched herself to voters as a fighter for both the agriculture industry and everyday Arkansans. Shoffner “has a tough road ahead,” Democratic consultant Michael Cook said, but Cotton and Republicans seem to be “taking her very seriously.” The Republican Party of Arkansas and the National Republican Senatorial Committee each called Shoffner a “far-left fraud” in statements issued Tuesday after Shoffner and Cotton won their primaries. However, some voters told Shoffner after her win that they voted on Democratic pri...
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