Tomball ISD
INCIDENT:
Our child made a comment to an Arabian child in an attempt to be funny when the child walked in the room she announced the statement "what's up losers", my child responded with "well my house is dirty do you and your mom want to come clean it?" Appropriate no, but racially motivated no, our child thought she was being funny. Our child and that child went back and forth with what were apparently not acceptable comments of this nature all of the time. When made to this specific child the comment really does not harm, however, this student turned this statement around and advised a Hispanic group that it was said about them. This caused a huge disturbance in the school of a racial nature, which resulted in our child being fearful for her own safety so she went to the office and reported everything that had happened including the comment that she had said to the original student, she felt she had nothing to hide. Instead she was prosecuted to the fullest and cited as the instigator, yet the child who changed the story and spread it walked away unscathed.
TISD RESPONSE:
Initially our child who is a cheerleader and a National Junior Honor Society Member was given 2 days of ISS. We followed all of the chains of command, this was eventually reduced to one 5-hour Saturday D Hall, Suspension from Cheer Camp, suspension from 3 of 5 football games, and she begins the school year with 8 demerits - it takes 10 to be removed from the team. They have removed her from NJHS with no negotiation. We were advised that they were being very generous by offering this reduced punishment that has the potential to last through 3 school years so that our child could remain a cheerleader. Please keep in mind that even the principal admitted that before this date, this child had never had so much as a tardy, she had no behavioral file, and the principal didn't even know who she was. We took this issue all the way to the school board. All 7 members listened to our case on the night it was presented, however, they didn't vote on the issue until the next night when only 5 of the members where even present. The decision was made to uphold the school's decision by a vote of 3 to 2. The administration flat out lied about details and that information was clear in their own documentation that they provided to the school board so it was very evident that the board did not even read the documentation provided to them.
There was a man who spoke in the open meeting the very same night we went before the board regarding zero tolerance and common sense at the very same school that our child goes to, yet the board still obviously doesn't see an issue or a pattern in that school.
OTHER:
When a child can grow up being told that if you are ever in danger and you need help etc go to an administrator and that child exercises that right and is then made the aggressor and no one will stand up for this child, what does that say? I assured the board that my child would never trust a school administrator again because of this. There was no way that anyone in their right mind could have sided with that school administration that actually read all of the facts of the case. I believe that parents need to start speaking up and banding together because it is apparent that you can go all the way to the top thinking you are doing the right thing and there is still no advocate for the children at this district and no one that will use any common sense. How can a school board justify a punishment for a child having potential to last through three school years, that has never been in ANY trouble before, that made a comment to one student and that student is the one that changed it and passed it on and turned it into a racial comment. There is something wrong here!!
