When I wrote See Sam Run, I was filled with gratitude, and no small measure of awe, for the teachers and administrators of Argyle schools. It took a team to get Sam to high school graduation and we passed out nearly 250 “Team Sam” buttons to all those people who made it happen.

It started with Gaye Pittman, principal of Argyle Elementary, who turned off the school bells because they bothered Sam. She bought everyone time to figure out another way for him to get past his fixation on when the bell would ring.

What a heart they all had!

Now, again, our district is in the national news. Last time it was for that manufactured outrage over immodest prom dresses and dirty dancing. That was the class legacy my youngest took with her to an out-of-state college.

Yes, really.

This time it’s because, as far as I can tell from reading news reports —

News 9 new results for Denton

Texas mom accused of placing camera in locker room Bradenton Herald A North Texas middle school principal is accused of placing a hidden video camera in a locker room during her daughter’s high school basketball game to see how much the coach yelled at the players. See all stories on this topic »

Wendee Long, Middle School Principal, Accused Of Hiding Camera In Girls … Huffington Post DENTON, Texas — A North Texas middle school principal is accused of placing a hidden video camera in a locker room during her daughter’s high school basketball game to see how much the coach yelled at the players. Wendee Long, 46, was indicted by a … See all stories on this topic »

Texas principal accused of secret locker room video of coach USA TODAY Wendee Long, 46, principal of the Wayside Middle School in Fort Worth, was indicted last week by a Denton County grand jury. She posted $25000 bail and has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw … See all stories on this topic » USA TODAY

Firefighters battle heat, house fire in Denton Lexington Dispatch DENTON | Firefighters with the Denton Volunteer Fire Department battled a house fire and temperatures in the mid-90s at a home on East Carroll Avenue on Thursday afternoon. See all stories on this topic »

Mission Denton: Making Disciples Dallas Baptist Standard The Baptist Standard :: The Newsmagazine of Texas Baptists, Amber Gonzales–My first impressions of Mission Denton were not what I had imagined. It actually turned out to be much more intensive than I had originally thought—which is great! See all stories on this topic »

Texas Principal Accused of Planting Camera in Locker Room ABC News (blog) If convicted, she could face a $25000 fine or 20 years in prison. Long was released Tuesday on a $25000 bond, according to ABC affiliate WFAA-TV. “The intent is to invade someone’s privacy,” Denton County Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck said. See all stories on this topic » ABC News (blog)

Word perfect Denton Record Chronicle Music Theatre of Denton packed houses for its last show, the cheeky Avenue Q. The local music theater company could have chosen to put on the brakes for the next production. But instead, the company stayed in the same gear — irreverent comedy that … See all stories on this topic » Denton Record Chronicle

Texas principal on leave in locker-room recording case Kansas.com The principal of a middle school in Fort Worth was put on administrative leave after telling her supervisors that she may face charges in Denton County in a case involving a video recorded in a girls locker room, a district spokeswoman said this week. See all stories on this topic »

— what another reporter once asked about Argyle ISD, really needs to be asked. One of those truths that’s hard to see from the inside, but plain as a termite swarm on the outside.

(By the way, just because I work in a newsroom doesn’t mean I know more than what anyone else knows.  On many occasions, I’ve felt, as a journalist, to be the last to know. Newsmakers know that once a journalist finds out, everyone who reads a paper is going to know. I’m not talking about Long’s guilt or innocence. That will be sorted out soon enough.)

Here is the question.

What is it about Argyle ISD that makes the adults eat their young?