Sex offenders on campus raise concerns
Parents, patrons protest Hot Springs schools allowing them on grounds
HOT SPRINGS — Patrons of the Hot Springs School District have voiced concerns regarding the district’s recent handling of cases involving sexual crimes against children.
In March, numerous parents and other patrons attended the district’s monthly school board meeting to protest against sexual offenders being allowed on campus after Zachary Nehus, husband of Superintendent Stephanie Nehus, was seen on campus after being paroled from state prison, having served six years of a sentence for child pornography.
Hot Springs School District policy permits Level 1 and Level 2 sex offenders to be allowed on campus.
Additional concerns were raised last week, centered on the district’s IT director, Bryce Walker, who was arrested in December on a misdemeanor charge of failure to report by a mandated reporter.
Walker was charged in Pike County; the alleged incident did not occur in Garland County. The charge stems from a case involving his brother, Barry Walker, who received 39 life sentences with no chance for parole after pleading guilty to several counts of rape and other sexual crimes involving minors.
The school district issued a statement at the time of Bryce Walker’s arrest, stating it was aware of the situation and was working in full cooperation with law enforcement officials. It further noted the district would like to stress that it is strictly a personal matter and not anything to do with the school district itself.
Following Tuesday’s board meeting, Stephanie Nehus said in an email to The Sentinel-Record, “In regards to the employee charged with failure to report, we do not have a statement at this time as he has not been convicted of any crime. His charge has nothing to do with HSSD.”
Bryce Walker’s criminal defense attorney, Shelly Hogan Koehler, issued the following statement to The Sentinel-Record on Thursday: “To say that Bryce Walker is appalled and dismayed by his brother’s actions would be an understatement. Bryce unequivocally denies knowing Barry was molesting children and he certainly didn’t conceal or cover-up his brother’s behavior. While Bryce has the utmost sympathy for his brother’s victims, he looks forward to being able to share his side of the story in court and is confident he will be exonerated.”
According to the probable cause affidavit on Bryce Walker’s arrest that was obtained by The Sentinel-Record, the investigator stated that he interviewed him on July 21 at the school district.
The affidavit alleges that Bryce Walker admitted he was told by two family members of Barry Walker that his brother had been sexually assaulting minor children.
“Bryce stated that he was mowing his yard when [the two family members] told him and further admitted that he had talked with his siblings about the allegations and that neither he nor his family reported these allegations,” the affidavit states in part.
“Bryce acknowledged that he did not report these allegations and had not reported them as of the date of his interview on July 21, 2022. Bryce Walker is the IT Director for the Hot Springs School District and held that position at the time the allegations described herein were disclosed to him,” the affidavit said.
Sara Jeffers, the parent of a student in the school district, addressed the School Board during the public comments portion of Tuesday night’s meeting. Citing the two cases, she told the board she thought the district had “brushed both of them underneath the rug,” and she felt they should have been taken more seriously.
“The amount of the ‘good ‘ol’ boy’ privilege that has been shown within this whole situation is very, very disturbing,” she said.
“Our children come first and they come to school to learn and to feel safe. After being a foster parent over the past few years, I’ve realized that we have a very serious issue with children being molested in our town. And that being said, statistically, they are on our campuses,” Jeffers said.
Noting its “full confidence in the leadership of Dr. Nehus as the Superintendent of the Hot Springs School District,” the board issued a statement in March that said out of respect for the school district family, Zachary Nehus would not be present on school district grounds for the remainder of the semester unless there was an emergency.