Investigators: Humble superintendent’s husband made sexual remarks, created hostile workplace

Former Humble Independent School District athletics director Troy Kite, who is married to district Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen, created a hostile work environment by frequently making “unprofessional and sexually explicit comments” about his co-workers before his retirement this week, investigators hired by the district concluded in recent months.

The findings, contained in investigative reports obtained Friday by the Houston Landing, offer the most detailed accounting to date of the probe into Kite, a longtime district administrator who married Fagen last year. The investigation threw Fagen’s job into jeopardy earlier this week, though Humble’s school board ultimately did not take a vote on her employment status during a heated board meeting Tuesday.

For example, investigators found Kite, in a mass email to other employees, named the same-sex domestic partner of the employee who filed the initial complaint against him. In doing so, Kite exposed his subordinate’s sexual orientation to those not previously aware. Investigators found this was an “unauthorized disclosure of private information,” but not a Title IX violation.

Investigators also found Kite moved “unusually speedy” to replace the employee after she confronted Kite about his actions and shared her intent to retire. Kite began interviewing candidates for her role that day, before the employee submitted any official documentation — a departure from typical processes but not a violation of Title IX or district policies.

The investigators also concluded district administrators “did not pursue ordinary procedures” in response to a complaint filed against Kite because of his relationship with Fagen. However, they did not explicitly detail any failures to follow Title IX laws.

During the Title IX investigation, a lawyer representing Kite, David Minces, disputed some of the allegations about sexually explicit comments and downplayed the significance of other statements. Minces also alleged the main complainant was “an active participant in this kind of banter.”

“The investigative report concluded that numerous employees in the athletic department perceive the work environment as familial and characterized by friendliness and informality,” Minces said in a December 2023 response to Ortiz’s findings. “In general, employees see the environment as jovial, informal and marked by frequent joking and banter.”