Photo by Jim Gaspard
The Woodrow Wilson High School administration placed a veteran teacher on leave after an in-class outburst, according to a statement and petition started by some Woodrow students. The students want the teacher to remain.
In a Facebook item posted in the group Lakewood, Dallas, Woodrow Wilson High School senior Michael Thomas said International Baccalaureate math teacher Michael Horan is “well-respected, brilliant, kind and an all-around great teacher who has been at Woodrow for 15+ years and teaching for 30.” He detailed an incident where Horan “lightly kicked” the desk of a student Thomas described as disruptive. Thomas said Horan yelled, “did raise his voice louder than a teacher should” and called the student a “spoiled brat.”
Thomas said the student reported Horan to the Woodrow administration. Dallas ISD confirmed that Horan was put on administrative leave on Thursday. Thomas and other classmates started a petition titled “Save Mr. Horan” in an effort to keep him at the school. “His students will be left without a teacher and his IB Math Studies students will be left without a teacher less than a 100 days before their exam, threatening their candidacy for the International Baccalaureate Diploma,” the petition reads.
The petition advocates for the administration to obtain witness statements from everyone in class, not just those selected by the student who reported the incident. “Please sign this petition to show your support for Horan and that the administration should get the whole story,” it says.
