Woodrow Wilson High School on March 23, 2022. Photo by Renee Umsted.
The Dallas ISD superintendent addressed a crowd of parents and community members at Woodrow one day after a gun was fired outside campus.
The meeting was part of Michael Hinojosa’s “Dialogue with the Superintendent & Community Conversations Through Collaboration” series.
Normally, Hinojosa said, the meetings begin with a presentation and are followed by a Q&A. But he flipped the switch at Woodrow on March 23, citing the previous day’s incident, which was the third violent situation that’s occurred near the campus since the beginning of February.
He briefly mentioned the previous day’s incident before introducing the Dallas ISD Police chief, John Lawton.
Lawton said there was a fight, and a person shot a gun into the air. Officers have identified the people in the fight, but the investigation is ongoing.
There will be an increased officer presence in the short term, including some at nearby Willis Winters Park. Hinojosa said Woodrow’s PTA volunteered to “give us some support in the form of having an officer at [Willis Winters Park] from 3-6 p.m. to help mitigate these issues.” He thanked the PTA for their support but said he would rather the group spend the money on students.
“We’re going to pivot our school district,” Hinojosa said. “We have our own police department.”
DISD police is sharing information and working with the Dallas Police Department.
But the district is also focused on the long-term, Hinojosa said, which is addressing the root issue.
“We can’t police ourselves out of this mess,” Hinojosa said. “We have to go and solve the problems that are underlying.”
Tiffany Huitt, the chief of schools at DISD, said the district is working with Woodrow Principal Michael Moran to help students who are “severely disengaged” in the school community. They are developing a night school option and adding a staff member to the campus to help with any students dealing with behavior and attendance issues.
Hinojosa said by providing options for students, meaningful activities they can participate in, the district can help prevent students from becoming disengaged from school.
Another solution Hinojosa suggested was helping expedite the movement of students after school dismissal.
DISD has recently partnered with Sandy Hook Promise. That organization offers a mobile app students can use to report issues anonymously. It also has a 24/7 call center staffed with counselors. This will be rolling out this summer.
One parent asked about the lack of cameras outside the building. There are some near the park but none directly outside campus. DISD trustee Dustin Marshall said the cameras are coming but didn’t have a specific date.
Another parent asked why the school didn’t go on lockdown when the gun was fired.
Moran said lockdown drills aren’t often practiced when school is dismissed, but he said he spoke with the security team earlier in the day about considering other times drills could be held, such as before and after school and during lunch. He also said school staff tried to keep students either inside or outside when the gun was fired, but the parent said that isn’t what students reported.
Hinojosa stressed the importance of everyone following protocol.
One attendee asked about consequences for these types of violent situations. Hinojosa said there are levels of discipline for different offenses, but students who bring weapons to school are removed from campus.
“As a parent, it’s very worrisome sending my children to school with the violence going on,” Santa Salazar, who has two kids at Woodrow and one at J.L. Long, told The Advocate.
There were many questions for the district officials, as well as calls for additional and improved safety measures, but parents thanked the coaches who were on campus to help keep their kids safe.
“What we bring to you I hope is constructive criticism,” one mother of a J.L. Long student said. “And that you will be open to listening to some ideas to work on this chaos.”
