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Trustees with the Elgin Independent School District will meet Thursday to consider the next step following the arrest of Superintendent Christopher Bailey on a driving-under-the-influence charge.
Bailey was detained earlier this week while traveling home from Austin, according to a statement released by the district.
Bailey, 47, who was named superintendent on Sept. 1, informed district staff and families about the arrest himself and has taken full responsibility, Elgin ISD said.
According to media reports, Bailey was booked into the Travis County Jail at 3:43 a.m. Oct. 29 on a charge of DUI/alcohol, then released after posting a $4,000 bond.
The district also addressed reports that Bailey had previously been arrested for driving while intoxicated, saying those accounts stemmed from a clerical error in Travis County records.
Board President Byron Mitchell said trustees take the matter seriously, adding Bailey has been open with school officials about the situation.
“Through our policies, the board has clear measures in place so that EISD will always have steady, accountable leadership,” Mitchell said. “The work of serving Elgin ISD students continues without interruption.”
A notice of the Nov. 5 school board meeting will be posted on the district's website in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, officials said.
While no other details were made public by school officials, according to an arrest affidavit cited by KVUE, a Manor police officer was traveling on U.S. 290 around 1:45 a.m. Oct. 29 when he spotted a 2014 Toyota Tacoma heading east in the left lane near the 15300 block of east 290.
According to the affidavit cited by the television station, the officer said the truck did not leave the left lane, which was designated by a sign for passing only, and it was weaving. The vehicle also was traveling well under the 65-mph speed limit, the affidavit noted, according to KVUE.
According to the court document, police pulled the truck over in the 16300 of east 290 and spoke to the driver, who smelled of alcohol.
The driver told the officer he had dinner at a restaurant in The Domain in Austin and visited a colleague’s house, the report stated. The motorist also said he had two glasses of wine, according to the document.
The driver later failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody, the station reported.
Bailey in September was hired by a unanimous vote of the board to oversee the 6,000-student Elgin ISD.
He is a 20-year education veteran and previously served as superintendent of the Goldthwaite Consolidated Independent School District and also worked for Abilene and Katy independent school districts.
