The Lubbock Independent School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 28 denied a Level 3 grievance from Clarence Lewis, a discipline clerk at O.L. Slaton Middle School, and upheld the district’s Level 2 decision that Lewis used an excessive physical restraint on a student during an April incident.

The hearing, held in open session at Lewis' request, included video footage of the encounter and testimony from Lewis, the district’s Level 2 hearing officer Crystal Floyd, and other staff. Floyd told the board she reviewed video evidence and staff statements and concluded the student's actions did not show an imminent threat that would justify lifting the student from his feet and forcing him to the ground.

Lewis told the board he acted to keep students and staff safe and said he believed the student had assaulted him during a brief segment of the video that was out of camera view. “Everything I do, I do for the safety of our kids in this community,” Lewis said during his presentation.

Floyd said the video shows Lewis initiated contact by grabbing the student’s wrist and that, when the pair moved briefly out of camera view, the footage that is visible does not corroborate Lewis’s account of being punched or having his leg swept. Floyd recommended the board deny the grievance; board members voted 7–0 to uphold the administration’s prior determination.

The record presented at the hearing shows Lewis filed a level 1 grievance on April 7 requesting reinstatement. The district responded at level 1 and level 2 per board policy DGBA local. Lewis remains an employee and was on administrative leave and paid during the grievance process. The district said the requested remedies — reinstatement (Lewis was not terminated) and extra‑duty pay for the leave period — were not warranted based on the evidence; the board’s denial preserves the administration’s findings.

Board President Beth Bridges opened the hearing and asked if any trustee felt they could not be impartial; no trustee recused themselves. The board said it would not deliberate in open session beyond voting on whether to grant, deny, or partially grant the grievance. After the vote, the board adjourned to closed session for other business.

The district referenced board policy DGBA local during the hearing; Lewis referenced his prior law‑enforcement and security training and said he had filed an assault complaint with police following the incident. The board’s action upholds the district’s determination that the restraint was inconsistent with allowed procedures in the school setting.

Trustees voted 7–0 to deny the Level 3 grievance and uphold the Level 2 response.