Agents with the FBI and IRS spent hours Thursday searching the administrative offices of the Houston Independent School District and the Cypress-area house of its chief operating officer, but they remained tight-lipped about what they were seeking.

At least a dozen federal agents made their way in and out of HISD’s Hattie Mae White building on 4400 West 18th Street Thursday morning, at one point carrying several boxes and containers to vehicles parked nearby.

The bureau called the search a “court authorized law enforcement activity,” but did not elaborate.

The district issued a statement saying it was fully cooperating with the FBI, adding there was no danger to students or staff.

Federal agents also were at a Cypress-area home listed in county property tax records as the residence of HISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby and his wife, HISD Officer of Special Populations Courtney Busby. Security refused to allow news media inside the gated neighborhood.

A voicemail and text message left on Busby’s phone, as well as a message sent via Twitter, were not returned Thursday. It was unclear whether Busby still had access to the phone, which may have been issued by HISD.

An Internal Revenue Service spokesman, in response to questions, said the agency could neither confirm nor deny any involvement, citing federal privacy laws. Agents with “IRS” on the backs their jackets were visible at the administration building and Busby’s home.

“We were notified first thing this morning of the FBI’s presence by the administration,” HISD Board President Sue Deigaard said. “I don’t have any additional information at this time, but I certainly share the community’s concerns.”

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who long has supported a state takeover of the district’s governing board, issued a news release praising the law enforcement actions. He suggested a “possible roadmap” behind the FBI and IRS raids was contained in a 2019 Texas Education Agency report that accused some trustees of misconduct and urged Education Commissioner Mike Morath to replace the district’s trustees with state-appointed governing board.

The TEA report concluded that multiple trustees violated the Texas Open Meetings Act, misled investigators, improperly interfered with vendor contracts and repeatedly overstepped their governance role.

Morath announced last November that he would appoint a temporary board to replace all of the district’s trustees because of chronically low academic performance at Wheatley High School and the investigation into trustee misconduct.

That takeover has been on on hold amid litigation. A trial date is set for June 22.

“This is criminal behavior. It’s out of bounds,” Bettencourt said Thursday. “I welcome the reports of the raids today because you can’t have this level of corruption in the state’s largest school district.”

Bettencourt singled out former HISD Board Chair Diana Dávila, whom TEA investigators accused of pressuring administrators to steer contracts to certain vendors, he said.

Dávila, who has derided the TEA report and denied many of its findings, said Bettencourt was offering “fake news.” She said she had no knowledge of or involvement in the FBI investigations.

“No FBI agent has pulled up to my home or contacted me in any form,” she said. “I’m sure if it had something to do with me, they would be at my house the same time they were at Brian Busby’s home.”

Brian Busby has spent more than 20 years in the district, working his way up from custodian to the highest-ranking official in business operations. He is the second-highest paid employee in the district, behind only Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan.

Former HISD superintendent Richard Carranza tabbed Busby as the district’s COO in December 2016. Busby’s authority includes oversight of roughly 7,000 employees working in several departments, including transportation, business operations, procurement and police.

Under Busby’s watch, the district smoothly handled the fallout from Hurricane Harvey, which damaged dozens of buildings and rendered four campuses unusable. District auditors, however, dinged Busby for allowing staff to spend nearly $250,000 on four GMC Yukon SUVs in the storm’s aftermath, though Busby said his staff reasonably believed it had the necessary authority for the purchases to ensure employee safety.

The district also has nearly completed $2 billion worth of construction projects approved through a 2012 bond vote, much of which occurred during Busby’s tenure. Busby has pushed for a bond election in November 2020, though some HISD trustees have voiced skepticism about that prospect.

Several departments under Busby’s supervision received blistering criticism in November 2019 from the Texas Legislative Budget Board, which HISD trustees hired to conduct a performance review of the district. The LBB’s analysts made dozens of recommendations aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the district’s operational departments.

As officer of special populations, Courtney Busby oversees a department that provides support services to English language learners, students with disabilities and gifted-and-talented children.

Reporter Hannah Dellinger contributed to this story.