Parents and community members from Wharton Dual Language Academy addressed the Houston Independent School District Board of Managers on March 20, urging the district to investigate leadership and staffing decisions at the school and to support teacher retention.

More than one parent described an atmosphere they called "toxic" under the current principal. Joanna Guzman, a Wharton parent who identified herself at the microphone, said her daughter’s teacher, identified in public comment as Mr. Camilo Fernandez, "has become the collateral damage of [the principal's] poor management skills," and asked the board to complete a "thorough investigation" into his administrative leave.

William Morphy, another Wharton parent, told the board the school needs flexibility and supports for difficult-to-replace teachers at the dual-language magnet campus: "We need to keep good teachers in our school, and we need some flexibility in helping them if there's some way that they're somehow falling short," he said.

Speakers asked trustees to scrutinize school-level and district-level decisions they said are driving experienced teachers away, cited multiple departures of long-tenured staff and asked for transparent documentation of personnel actions. Parents said students have been affected by classroom instability and expressed concern about recruiting new teachers under the current conditions.

District officials present did not announce any immediate personnel actions during the public comment period. Board members did not vote on a Wharton-specific remedy during the open meeting; public comment was recorded and directed to district staff for follow up.

Clarifying details and context
- Public commenters said multiple teachers have left Wharton in the past year; the speakers did not provide an exact head-count to the board and described departures as recent and ongoing.
- Commenters identified one classroom teacher as being placed on administrative leave (named in public comment as Mr. Camilo Fernandez). Parents requested a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the leave and replacement.
- Speakers asked the board to examine principal leadership decisions, teacher recruitment and retention practices, and the district’s oversight of dual-language and magnet programming.

What parents asked the board to do
Parents and community members requested a thorough investigation, transparency about district actions affecting staffing, and interventions to stabilize teacher retention at Wharton. Several speakers asked for a return of teacher autonomy and fewer prescriptive requirements that they said have contributed to teacher departures.

Ending
Board members heard the testimony and directed district staff to follow up; no board-level personnel decision was announced in open session. Parents indicated they will continue to attend board meetings until they see changes at their school.