More questions are being raised by parents about the practices of a local school district as statements from students and witnesses to an apparent “physical altercation” between a teacher and a student on Monday, January 23, 2012 are being gathered by school officials.
“My 12 year old is in 6th grade and witnessed a physical altercation between his 6th period teacher and another classmate yesterday,” a mother,in the La Vernia Independent School District, notified this Examiner.
"RING ACTUALLY BROKE SKIN"
“The teacher struck a male student in the face intentionally,” alleged the parent, who asked not to be publically identified. “The contact was so swift that her ring actually broke skin on his face.”
Another parent, who confirmed that the teacher “slapped” the football player “across the face” and said this should not have happened because “parents had contacted the Junior High principal and vice principal previously” about the teacher in question.
“They moved her from the High School to the Junior High last year because the students were coming home again telling us (parents) that she was doing drugs, just like that other teacher last year, that was acting so strange in the classroom.”
“Many other students witnessed this attack and were called in to the office yesterday,” the first mother said.
SCHOOL OFFICALS PREVIOUSLY WARNED
The mom stated in her email that “this teacher has been noticeably unstable for some time. Unfortunately, she is proving what she is capable of.”
The mother confirmed she wanted ‘to make sure this incident isn’t among others that have been swept under the rug and/or covered up. My husband and myself warned administration about this teacher and her instability and her incompetent ways in the classroom months ago.”
“I know as fact there was an aide and another parent who also voiced their concerns to administration...obviously upon deaf ears also,” the mother declared. “This incident was preventable.”
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
Many parents and citizens have been concerned when controversy began in Oct. 2010 after parents advised La Vernia Independent School District Superintendent Tom Harvey of a different 7th grade teacher who was acting bizarre in the classroom, as reported by her students.
After months of discussions with school and district leadership, parents were not too surprised to learn that teacher was arrested in March 2011 for drugs and resisting arrest.
Two weeks later assistant vice Principal Glenn Hendrickson was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide by his mother.
Parents voiced opinions and tales of unfair nepotism, special treatment and cover-ups for some teachers, and mistreatment of other teachers and staff, by district leadership and school administrators throughout 2011.
ANGRY PARENTS IGNORED OR GIVEN SILENT TREATMENT
Harvey and school board trustee members Mike Jendrusch, Richard Schier, John Bilicek, Janice Gimbel, David Watson, James Barnett, and Eric Friedrichs have been challenged by parents and citizens about their lack of communication, transparency, and accountability.
The concerns peaked in October 2011 when nearly 200 concerned citizens attended a trustee meeting to voice concerns and get answers to questions about alleged corruption, mistreatment of teachers and staff, and a criminal financial investigation by police.
This Examiner sent an email request to Dr. Harvey, Jendrusch, and other board members on March 23, 2011 and October 19, 2011 “offering the La Vernia community and other readers the opportunity to hear from the school trustees."
CITIZENS WAIT ON RESULTS FROM NEW POLICE CHIEF
Hoping the school trustees would “agree that perhaps good feedback and communication might alleviate some of the rumors and mitigate speculation that could be developing because of the lack of information coming from the school district,” no one from the school district responded on the record.
In the meantime, the legal fees for the school district continue to climb to an all time high.
The La Vernia community continues to wait for any information from police Chief Bruce Ritchey for the results and outcome of the criminal investigation regarding expenditures from a junior high activity fund.
Ritchey, well aware there are concerns about the investigation, took a cautious approach while the investigators performed the forensic audit.
PARENT: 'WE CAN'T TRUST OUR SCHOOL BOARD'
Citizen concerns range from the speculation that the audit information handed over by Dr. Harvey was given to the same accounting company who was thought to be certifying the integrity of the school district’s accounts all along; to thoughts of anyone who is alleged of wrong doings being protected by social fraternal organization partiality obligation, or other preferential treatment.
“We can’t trust our school board,” one parent, who asked not to be identified, said, after attending the Oct. 17 meeting of the LVISD board of trustees. “Teachers go to their leaders and all they get is reprimands and we (parents) go to the Board and all they give us is silence.”
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