Tatum ISD Identifies Resigned Employee

TATUM — Tatum ISD officials on Monday gave the name of a district official who resigned last week. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, the information came in response to a News-Journal public information request. The district said Tatum High School Assistant Principal Thomas Sheppard resigned amid an investigation. Late Thursday, the district said it was notified Feb. 20 of possible inappropriate communication between an employee and students. The employee was placed on administrative leave during the investigation but resigned while on administrative leave, Drenon Fite, assistant superintendent of human resources and community relations, said last week.

During the investigation, the district contacted parents of students involved, the Tatum Police Department, and the district’s board of trustees, Fite said. The findings of the investigation, he added, “did not merit or reach the level of involving any outside agencies.”