Durham parents, students decry curriculum changes, teacher reassignments and library dismantling at HISD meeting

Dozens of Durham Elementary parents and students told the Houston Independent School District Board of Managers on Sept. 11 that recent, rapid changes tied to the district's NES curriculum rollout have disrupted instruction and harmed student morale.

At the public‑comment portion of the meeting, parents described teachers reassigned overnight, students kept for days with substitutes and Chromebooks, and a library reduced to storage. "Build on our foundation. Don't demolish it," said Abby Stargell, identified in public comment as a Durham parent. "These were not isolated incidents. What we continue to see is a pattern: poorly planned disruption rolled out without the proper support or resources."

Multiple parents said the changes came with little or no advance notice. Lucy Gravy, speaking for Durham families, said two veteran teachers were reassigned after a single brief campus visit from the superintendent and their students were left with substitutes the next day. "Instead, they walked in and had substitutes and Chromebooks awaiting them," she said. "These teachers that they loved and trusted were removed."

Speakers described the library at Durham being moved into a smaller room and used for storage. "Our library, our corner store of reading and exploration, is now being dismantled," said Fatima Gilbert, a Durham parent who said she watched furniture and materials being removed. Another parent, Kyle, said two empty classrooms sat unused while the library was reduced. "If the district really needed space for a team center, those classrooms could have been converted without disrupting any student learning," he said.

Parents repeatedly said Durham's test results and accountability ratings do not support the sudden changes. Natalie Carmish, who said one of her children attends Durham, told the board that Durham outperformed NES elementary schools on STAR (STAAR) performance domain 1 last year and asked the district to consider that data before restructuring classroom programs.

Students also addressed the board. A sixth grader from Lanier Middle School said Canvas grading errors and incorrect automated grading damage trust in classroom assessment. Multiple high‑school students and juniors said district rules and placements had removed them from higher‑level coursework or forced them into remedial classes; one student said she was moved out of Algebra II into a TSI class after a TSI result.

Several speakers framed their comments as a call for better community engagement rather than opposition to change itself. Jose Pineda, a Durham parent, urged the board to "increase community engagement, to increase the use of public referendums, and to include parents in decision making before those decisions are made." Jill Tucker, who identified herself as a licensed professional counselor and Durham parent, warned that last‑minute changes were causing emotional distress for students and said stability is critical for learning.

Board members did not take action on any Durham‑specific requests during the meeting. Board president and district staff acknowledged the comments and the board proceeded to other agenda items.

Ending: Parents, students and several staff urged the board to slow or reconsider rapid districtwide implementations at campuses already showing strong local performance, to provide clearer advance notice, and to restore campus resources they said were essential to students' daily learning and wellbeing.