Parents received their first official communication from the school district regarding a replacement teacher for a La Vernia 7thgrade teacher who was jailed for drugs, evading arrest, resisting arrest and the assault of a public servant on earlier this month.
The jailed teacher, Holly Rebecca Marsh, 32, is in custody in Wilson Country jail, under the supervision of her uncle, Sheriff Joe Tackitt, Jr.
Tackitt’s deputy, Franklin Ashton, stopped to check on what he thought was an abandoned or vehicle in distress during the early morning hours of Thursday March 10, 2011 on Highway 775 near Palo Alto.
Officer Ashton discovered Marsh in the vehicle and she told him she was coming home after visiting her boyfriend.
According to sources that have seen the video cam recording, Marsh started yelling at the officer. She had her door open and he asked for her car keys.
“When he tried to get her key out of the ignition, she went ballistic and took off in her car,” the sources said. “He was caught in the door and it looked like he was going to be seriously hurt.”
“I don’t know how but he got up and ran to his car,” they continued. “She was obviously high, or drunk and freaked out. She sped off fast.”
A neighbor to the Marsh’s woke up after hearing sirens going off and looked outside to see the teacher “fighting, scratching and screaming.”
“She took off running one time and cussing that she was a teacher and they can’t do that to her,” the neighbor, who asks not to be identified said. “She kept screaming “do you know who I am? You are going to get into all kinds of trouble!” and they finally were able to get her stable enough on the ground so no one would get hurt.”
On Tuesday, March 21, 2011, the parents of students of La Vernia Junior High School, were notified by letter from Principal Maria Wildenstein about the replacement teacher for Marsh.
The new teacher is “a graduate at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and has certification in Math grades 4-8.” Marsh taught English and Drama according to a personnel directory dated a few weeks ago.
“She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction,” the memo continued. “She will be replacing Ms. Holly Marsh, who is no longer employed by La Vernia ISD.”
Because of brewing concerns with the school district administration, some parents plan to attend a school board meeting of the school district Tuesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Primary School.
Diane Marsh is listed as the secretary to the district’s superintendent Dr. Thomas Harvey. Holly Marsh's mother is listed as Diane Marsh on public records.
A background check revealed no previous criminal record or warrants for the teacher.
Jailed on bonds totaling $40,000, Holly Marsh, who turns 33 on March 31, has been jailed in Wilson County jail since her arrest.
When asked by Examiner if news about teacher Holly Marsh’s problem with drugs is really news to the community, or does a lot of people know this has been going on for a while, parent Amanda Russell replied that “many things have been stirring in LV schools for quite some time.”
“I think this was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Russell explained. ”Although not everyone knew of the situation, I think being that we are such a small community, most knew of something.”
“My hope is that when some of these issues are addressed at the next school board meeting, the school board will do their due diligence to investigate them and the appropriate actions taken,” she continued.
Raised in San Antonio, Jack Dennis' early experiences were as a newspaper reporter and private investigator. With a Texas State University bachelor's degree, Jack studied journalism and won numerous awards, including Investigative Reporter of 1976 from Rocky Mountain Press Association. Jack has interviewed Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood, Justin Timberlake, Buzz Aldrin, and George W. Bush. Jack co-founded Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM) and was elected President to establish PRSM magazine. Jack is the CFO of Cent’Anni Wellness Communications.
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