HOUSTON – More planned walkouts are scheduled for Friday with students and their families protesting the Houston ISD administration’s recent decisions to get rid of long-time staff at several schools At some schools, the principal was given an ultimatum: to resign or be fired.
Students at 23 high schools and 8 middle schools are scheduled to walk out at 2:45 p.m. (see list at bottom of article).
They have four demands:
- 1. Fire Mike Miles and restore elected Houston ISD Board of Trustees.
- 2. Revoke harmful and restrictive policies and replace them with peer-reviews and research-based practices.
- 3. Open a line of communication with students. Value our input and the input of our teachers.
- 4. Stop firing essential HISD staff with little to no provocation. Including the currently pending removal of all employees until elected Board Members have reviewed them.
Herod Elementary School was one of those schools with walkouts this week and one of several schools where the principal was given that ultimatum. Principal Jessica Berry spoke with KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun about her resignation agreement saying she refused to sign it.
“I really think that there is a chance that I really have just ended my career in public education but at the end of the day these kids, not Herod kids,” she told Balogun. “But every kid in Houston deserves an education and deserves somebody who’s going to stand up for them.”
On Thursday, several parents voiced their opinions at an 8-hour-long school board meeting, but ultimately, the HISD board voted to remove Berry as principal.
Her termination is one of many- that sparked some heated comments at last night’s 8-hour-long school board meeting. This is all a part of the looming budget, where staff members on the chopping block, were asked to resign or be terminated.
Many, of whom, according to an HISD spokesperson were considered to be underperforming.
Our Deven Clarke was there and said he didn’t hear anyone say any nice things about Superintendent Mike Miles or the job he’s done so far. And despite the call for him to reverse decisions to fire well-loved and respected staff, that didn’t happen.
As for Jessica Barry, KPRC 2 received a letter she sent to the district. In part, the letter says, “I respectfully decline to execute said ‘agreement’ It is both shocking and disappointing to observe, let alone be a victim of the methods you have chosen to implement to reduce staff.”
There are scheduled school walkouts through HISD with students protesting the administration. And the fact that some schools opened after the storms without A/C.
High schools with walkouts scheduled Friday, May 24:
- Austin High School
- HAIS
- Heights High School
- Eastwood
- HSPVA
- Lamar High School
- Waltrip High School
- Chavez High School
- Energy IHS
- Furr High School
- Madison High School
- Worthing High School
- Mickey Leland High School
- Carnegie VHS
- Westside High School
- Bellaire High School
- Sharpstown High School
- Sharpstown Intl.
- Debakey High School
- Sam Houston
- East Early CHS
- HS for Law and Justice
Middle Schools with scheduled walkouts Friday, May 24:
- Hogg Middle School
- Burbank Middle School
- Frank Black Middle School
- Baker Montessori
- MPVA
- Hamilton Middle School
- Stevenson Middle School
- Pin Oak Middle School