Dallas ISD
INCIDENT:
My son who is in 8th grade has had problems all year with other individuals who have threatened him physically and 6 wks. Before school was out I reported this to the school officer and told her individuals were also accosting my son from the High School on his way home. My son was on campus after school and Officer Amos asked him to come down the stairs because she suspected him of tagging. My son ran to the classroom and she chased him and they frisked him and did not find anything on his person. They then proceeded to check his backpack and Officer Hernandez found 4 Chinese throwing stars and a pocketknife. My son had these weapons because he was deathly afraid that six boys from the high school were going to cause him bodily harm. He has never even had a fight in his life. He has had no discipline problems what so ever in the two years he attended Jr. High.
DISD RESPONSE:
The school district has expelled him for 90 days and has referred him to a juvenile alternative education school. I have appealed and the officer that heard our case has upheld the principal's decision. I am going to continue to appeal until all appeals have been exhausted.
OTHER:
I realize that my son made a serious mistake and I don't think that the punishment fits. He is not only a responsible young man but, he is a member of the Jr. National Society, TAG, and he has not missed one day of school since he has been enrolled in Pre-K. My son has been accepted to the Early College High School at Mountain View Community College which will allow him to earn both a H.S. Diploma and an Associates degree in four years. I cannot believe that the school district is willing to throw a promising individual away. I worked at Dallas County Juvenile Justice Alternative Ed. Program the first of this year and I as an adult was not able to sustain the disrespect these children put out. They were unruly, threatening, and unwilling to learn or allow us to teach. The teacher and I spent 95% of our time on discipline. I saw how the kids interacted with each other and this is not the environment I want my son in. I was not even certified to be a Teacher Aide. I don't know that the teacher was certified to teach either. My son has consistently scored high on TAKS and has had commended status on different parts through out the years and the district wants to throw him into this vile environment. I could only sustain being employed at DCJJAEP for two weeks and was forced to resign because my blood pressure shot up and I was too ill to return. The stress was tremendous.
