Austin Public School officials are watching closely as the drama surrounding Richard Burch unfolds.

Burch, a former teacher’s aide at Southgate Elementary School, faces multiple charges of criminal sexual abuse after a Southgate family made a complaint in February that Burch inappropriately touched their child.

District officials say while this is something no school district wants to go through, they did as much as they could to protect students’ safety.

“Any time anything like this happens, we always review our procedures and policies to make sure we cover all of our bases, to make sure we’re doing all we can,” said David Krenz, district superintendent.

School employees are mandated reporters, meaning they have to immediately report any allegation of sexual or physical abuse and neglect to whatever agency needs to address the allegation. The district then conducts an investigation of its own, which in Burch’s case couldn’t take place until the Austin Police Department finished their investigation.

“As soon as the district was notified by the parent regarding concerns, we took immediate and appropriate action to ensure the safety of students and comply with all State requirements,” said Mary Burroughs, the district’s human resources director.

Burroughs said Burch was placed on leave as soon as district officials took the complaint, and he was no longer an employee by the time a police investigation wrapped up in March.

In addition, the district goes through a criminal background check for any potential hires or volunteers, which is a standard process.

Parents haven’t expressed concern over the case to the district apart from the initial reports, according to Krenz. That could be because all allegations against Burch are alleged to have taken place off school grounds. According to a court complaint, Burch allegedly touched an 8-year-old girl’s genital area while he was supervising a bus trip to a roller rink in Brownsdale on Dec. 17. The bus trip was not part of a school function, according to district officials.

Burch faces more felony criminal sexual conduct charges after a 16-year-old girl told a friend Burch touched her genitals on numerous occasions over the last few years, according to court documents.

District officials are finished reviewing policies regarding mandated reporting and maintaining appropriate boundaries between students and staff. One of biggest things school employees are taking away from Burch’s case is additional staff training in these areas.

“We train new staff every year, but a refresher would be beneficial to all,” Burroughs said.

According to Burroughs, there have been more discussions about staff and student contact, as well as actions that could be taken the wrong way.

“I’ve had many questions, such as ‘Can I give a child a high-five if they do well on a test?’ or ‘What do I do if a child runs up and hugs me?’” she said.

Krenz said he didn’t know if anything like this had happened in Austin before, but district officials are trying to go above and beyond what the state mandates for districts facing this type of safety concern.

“It’s not on most of our people’s radar, and that’s why you have to think about that sort of thing,” he said. “It’s sad, but it’s always important.”

—Amanda Lillie contributed to this report.