Little 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.”

LRSD superintendent addresses rumored educator-student relationship at Parkview