Article Critical Of HISD Security Concerns
Teachers Union To Send Surveys To Secondary Campuses
POSTED: Tuesday, November 11, 2003
UPDATED: 4:11 pm CST November 11,
2003
HOUSTON -- Houston Independent School District teachers claim they have proof that classroom security concerns described in a scathing
New York Times article are legitimate.
The Houston Federation of Teachers released a report Tuesday that they say proves there is violence on HISD campuses and that the district is doing everything it can to downplay the dangerous situation. They also vowed to make sure that the district starts following the law.
Gayle Fallon, president of the federation, believes the under reporting of violence on school campuses is a deliberate and illegal act by HISD.
News2Houston reported that the groups plans on sending surveys to all secondary campus personnel to prove that violent students are being allowed to endanger the lives of their classmates and teachers.
"If HISD is going to stick its head in the sand and refuse to admit that it's got violent students on campus, who are absolutely not being removed, we're going to force them to take them off," Fallon said.
The groups action came on the heels of a critical
New York Times report of violence in Houston schools.
According to the article, in the last four years, the district recorded 3,091 assaults, but only 761 of those cases were reported to the state.
HISD Superintendent Dr. Kaye Stripling blasted the report.

"Our children have been harmed ... our teachers have been harmed … our community has been harmed by this unfair story," Stripling said.
Fallon insisted that the district is driven by money and public relations. For every violent student expelled, the district loses state funding and possibly the trust of parents and taxpayers.
"If HISD will do nothing to make their schools safer, then the union will take responsibility of doing our part," Fallon said.
The district told News2Houston that they are still looking into Fallon's comments.
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