Last night’s Longview School Board meeting once again had a focus on the Mark Morris basketball major hazing case, which resulted in two players being charged with rape. Superintendent Dr. Karen Cloninger gave an update on the school’s third-party investigation, and members of the public continued to air their grievances with Dr. Cloninger and the board during open comment.

Dr. Cloninger says they continue to be unable to provide many details on the ongoing investigation; however, they do anticipate that the report will be completed within the next several weeks. Additional action will be taken once the third-party report is received and reviewed.

In the meantime, she did say that the district will be selecting and implementing an anti-hazing curriculum based on best practices and research. The program will include education for both staff and students, student leadership development, and improved reporting expectations.

During the following public comment period, much of the public grilled the board on its move at the last meeting to extend Dr. Cloninger’s contract by three years amid the controversy. Commenters argued that the right thing to do would be to put anyone involved on administrative leave as the investigation is completed. There were also continued calls for recall efforts against members of the board.