More Bullying Allegations Surface Against Katy ISD Superintendent

KATY, TX — Claims that surfaced last month alleging Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt was a bully during his years as a student more than 35 years ago are gaining momentum with some demanding Hindt be fired.

During a school board meeting on March 19, Katy businessman Greg Barrett stood in front of school board trustees and revealed he’d been a victim of Hindt’s bullying while both were in junior high school.

Barrett, whose legal surname is Gay, looked squarely at Hindt and reminded him that Hindt had shoved his head in a urinal and busted his lip. Barrett said he’d nearly committed suicide over the incident.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

In a video from that meeting, Hindt is seen leaning back in his chair and chuckling, which angered Barrett.

RELATED:

• Katy Man Claims Jr. High Bullying By Superintendent Lance Hindt
• Katy ISD Superintendent Addresses Bullying Accusations

Since Barrett took his stand, others have expressed their indignation at Hindt’s reaction to his former classmate.

Among those is Nitant Patel, a former Katy ISD student, who launched an online petition calling for Hindt’s firing. That petition has drawn more than 3,600 signatures as of Tuesday morning.

“It is disturbing how a man can bully so many people, some nearly to death, and get away with it. We need our kids to see a role model, not a perpetrator of violence,” Patel said.

Meanwhile, more allegations of Hindt’s alleged bullying arose on March 28, when Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that Hindt was the defendant in a 1983 lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed by William Stein, who claimed he was attacked and severely beaten by Hindt, who was 18 at the time, and that he’d been in a coma for several days as a result of that beating.

Katy ISD board president Ashley Vann released this statement after news of the lawsuit came to light:

"The 1983 civil case was fully and finally dismissed, after litigation, with no damages or liability. No criminal charges were ever filed. Again, as stated in the March 26 Board meeting, the Board fully vetted Dr. Lance Hindt and we continue to stand firmly behind him as our superintendent."

On Monday, Alabama Circuit Court Judge David Carpenter said he’d attended Katy Taylor High School with Hindt, and described him as a vicious bully, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

Carpenter recalled an incident where Hindt allegedly intimidated others by throwing 25-pound plates at him and his teammates, and that he bragged about beating people up.

Hindt has continually dismissed the allegations made against him, and the Katy ISD board of trustees has given the superintendent its vote of confidence.

Image: Katy ISD

Send your news tips to bryan.kirk@patch.com