LAMAR -- Members of the Lamar Public School Board unanimously accepted the resignation of Superintendent Jay Holland during a special board meeting Tuesday.
Holland's resignation comes just weeks after the district found three students at Lamar Middle School not responsible in connection with sexual assault allegations.
Holland had been superintendent since July 2015.
Regarding the sexual assault allegations, the district released a statement Aug. 12 saying it followed the Title IX grievance process, which was completed July 16. Both parties appealed the decision-maker's findings. The Crimes Against Children Division of the Arkansas State Police completed its investigation Aug. 12 and found all allegations of sexual abuse unsubstantiated, the statement said. The district said it used the information, the Title IX investigation results and new evidence during the appeals process.
A student reported on March 8 of being sexually harassed while in the boys' locker room, according to a written determination of responsibility from the district signed June 30. The determination states the district was instructed to refrain from investigating the incident because local police and the Arkansas State Police were already investigating.
On April 5, a Title IX complaint was filed by the student's mother. During the district's investigation, two more complaints were filed regarding some or all of the same accused students in similar incidents occurring from the summer through November 2021.