TYLER, Texas — The Tyler ISD school board has named the new principal of Tyler Legacy High School.
During a special meeting Thursday, the board announced Dr. Kristen Walls would take the reins of the largest high school in East Texas.
“We’re excited to announce Dr. Walls as the principal at Tyler Legacy High School,” Tyler ISD Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford said. “As a former academic dean at the school, Dr. Walls’ familiarity with existing systems, students, staff, and families will give her an immediate advantage to lead the campus successfully. Thanks to the previous work done by campus faculty, staff, and students, Tyler Legacy is in a prime position to become an A-rated campus. Dr. Walls has the intangibles to capture those successful student outcomes.”
Dr. Walls served as academic dean and assistant principal at then-Robert E. Lee High School from 2017-2020. In 2020, she became the principal at Hogg Middle School.
“I am genuinely honored to serve the students, staff, and community at Tyler Legacy High School,” Dr. Walls said. “My goal is to build upon the success that TLHS has already achieved and continue to create a positive environment where all students can grow to reach their full potential.”
The decision comes after former Tyler Legacy principal Dan Crawford resigned and was arrested for possession of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone.
According to CBS19's newspaper partners, the Tyler Morning Telegraph, when police arrived at Crawford’s home on June 2, documents state he was leaned against the back door of his residence with a red face and neck that were completely covered in blood.
He was sitting in a large pool of blood and appeared to have a large cut on the back of his head, according to the arrest affidavit. Police say an officer saw two puddles of blood across the kitchen, and next to the sink the officer found a small baggie with a “white powdery substance.”
That substance was tested immediately and presumptively identified as cocaine. On June 16, results from a forensic scientist at the Texas Department of Public Safety lab in Tyler confirmed the substance was about .22 grams of cocaine, according to the affidavit.
Crawford was booked into the Smith County Jail on June 28. He was released the same day on $1,500 bond.